Kitsune no Shoujo
by KinKitsune01
Summary: A mischievious grin on her face, she added the finishing touches to her masterpiece. This would teach the villagers to stop looking at her as if she was a.. a monster. FemaleNaruto, SasuNaru. DISCONTINUED.
1. Introduction: Konoha's Troublesome Kit!

**Introduction : Konoha's Troublesome Kit!**

The Naruto Legend, retold, but with a twist! Meet 12 year old Uzumaki Narue, Konoha's #1 Loudest Ninja-In-Training, as she strives to become the first ever female Hokage, along with her mysterious sensei, brooding rival and a surprise ninja team-mate(It's not Sakura. I'll explain why, in my profile page.), meeting dangerous foe and battling fearsome shinobi along the way. Can a lil' girl make it in the big Ninja world?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, or anything associated with the great Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

_It was a dark, ominous night in Konoha, but it certainly wasn't a quiet one. Women screamed and babies cried as the large, fearsome and vicious demon fox named Nine-Tailed Fox demon stomped through the village, smashing homes, and knocking down trees. Many Jounin, Chuunin and Anbu of the hidden leaf tried to stop the beast, hitting it with every weapon in their arsenal, and every jutsu, too. But no matter what it was they threw, it might as well have been a paper tissue, as nothing hindered the giant fox at the slightest._

_It was a desperate, frightening time, indeed. _

_A young boy with dark-brown hair tied back in a pony-tail scrambled about the forest, calling for his parents with a wavering voice, his hands cupped._

_"P-Papa..?! M-Mama??" he called, shaking with fear, and then screaming as a tree fell over nearby. Luckily, he was saved by a jounin, who proceeded to carry him to safety, away from the demon fox, "Wait, no!! I-I have to help m-my parents..!" the boy panicked._

_"There's no time for that, kid! I have to get you to the academy, where the other kids are. It's too dangerous here for an academy student, like you." the Jounin said. _

_The younger Iruka screamed,_ _"No! PAPA! MAMA!" he cried, as a giant, orange claw came down on his parents. He let his tears fall freely._

_It was then that a giant toad, the famed kind, the great boss toad, Gamabunta appeared in a huge mass of smoke, and landing on his head was the dashingly handsome, blond Hokage, newly crowned to his position. _

_The Jounin carrying Iruka gasped, looking over his shoulder,_ _"Yes!! Yondaime-sama has finally arrived! He must have a plan! Maybe now we have a damn-sight more of a chance!" he gasped, and the continued to carry Iruka away as another tree toppled over._

_"Y-Yondaime-sama..? But how could he possibly stop that thing..?" thought Iruka, as the battle distanced further and further away... _

* * *

"Uchiha Sasuke.." Iruka called out, reading from his register. It had been twelve years since the death of his parents.. And the death of the Yondaime. In this time, he had graduated the academy, made Genin, and then Chuunin. He didn't quite fancy the life of a Jounin, so he settled for the rank of Chuunin, and became an academy sensei.

"Hn." came a response.

Iruka nodded, and continued, "Umarani Saati?" Iruka asked, and got the response he asked for, "Uotani Kosuke?" he asked, and another response came. It was a normal day in Konoha for 25 year old Umino Iruka, and as usual he was taking the register for his class at the Ninja academy. Thus far, no absences. Iruka hoped to keep it that way, but if everything was completely normal, he doubted that'd be so.

"Uzumaki Narue?" Iruka asked, hoping for at least a little diversity from his average day. But luck was not with him. "Where is Uzumaki Narue?" he asked again, looking around his classroom.

In the front row sat silent and stoic Shino of the Aburame clan, who was mutely conversing with an insect that sat perched on his finger. Looking west from Shino, he spotted the likes of Nara Shikamaru, fast asleep as usual, he noted. How he'd pass his ninja exam, Iruka was doubtful of. Then there was his friend Akimichi Chouji, sat next to him, followed by Uchiha Sasuke a row back, an annoying blond named Yamanaka Ino fussing over him at his side, and a fuming Haruno Sakura a row back. Others in his class was an also-snoozing Inuzuka Kiba and his canine familiar, Akamaru, and finally, the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, ever-shy Hinata, who prodded her fingers together, glancing to the door every now and then.

Iruka sighed, "Everyone behave themselves while I collect our missing classmate. I don't want to come back to find anybody with a kunai to somebody's throat, now." Iruka said, heading for the door. Everyone nodded, only a few actually watching Iruka leave.

Hinata shyly turned to the girl next to her, Sakura, "Wh-where do you think Narue-san is?" she asked the pink-haired girl.

Sakura looked to Hinata with a frown, "How should I know??" she asked.

Hinata shrugged, "W-Well, I saw you t-talking with her yesterday a-and I thought that maybe.." she trailed off, seeing her efforts futile. She knew that Sakura wasn't too fond of Narue anyway. She didn't know why, neither Sakura nor Ino, nor the rest of those who seemed to move around together in herds. The Sasuke fan club.. But personally, Hinata really liked Narue; she saw her as a very close friend.

Whenever Narue was around, the classroom always seemed a bit brighter, more vibrant. Hinata couldn't help but smile at Narue's antics, like when she fooled Iruka into eating a smoke-bomb disguised as an apple, last week.

Hinata looked to the azure sky outside the window, and sighed; Where exactly was Narue now? What was she doing to cause her absence?

* * *

Elsewhere, a young twelve-year-old girl smirked, wiping her cheek and smearing red paint across her whisker-like markings. She brushed her uneven bangs of vibrant blond hair behind her ears and continued with her work, finishing off the red spiral painted on the stone she was grappling down the side off.

It wasn't just any stone.

"Kami-sama!! What is that girl doing!?" screamed a young woman, dropping her groceries in the street after spotting the atrocity which was the vandalisation of Konoha's great Hokage Mountain. The pride of the Village, defiled by childish scrawls of red swirls and fake-tears painted in blue down from the First Hokage's eyes.

"Oh great! It's that damn Narue again!" spat an annoyed man, who ran the local grocery score. Three Jounin spotted this, and angrily began their persuit of the young twelve-year-old orphan, Uzumaki Narue.

The blond turned her head to the accumulating mass of Jounin, her sky-blue eyes alive with excitement, and she laughed obnoxiously at their horrified faces.

"How d'ya like that, huh? Didn't think it possible, did ya!" her voice boomed from the heights of Hokage Mountain.

"G-Get down here this instant, Narue! You won't go unpunished for this!!" yelled a random jounin, his face red with anger. Narue smirked, and reached into her pocket for something.

It was then that Iruka arrived,

"Narue-chan! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" he screamed, livid.

"AH! I-Iruka-sensei..!" Narue gasped, nearly dropping what she had been searching for but quickly reclaiming it and hiding it in her dirty mits.

A Jounin turned to Iruka, "You know this kid?" he asked him.

Iruka nodded, "Yes, I'm her sensei." he agreed.

"Well don't just stand there, do something. You have to stop her!" said another Jounin.

"Right! Narue-chan, I don't know what put you up to this, but whatever it is, maybe we can talk about it over some Ramen--" he was cut off when an explosion erupted from Narue, and when the smoke cleared, Narue was gone, leaving the graffiti to remain.

"Damnit! She got away!" gasped one chuunin.

"She hasn't yet. Spread out and search for her. I'll tell Hokage-sama!" said another, who then dashed off to the Hokage's office. Iruka let out a frustrated growl, and dashed off along with the other Jounin and Chuunin to look for the mischievous academy student, Uzumaki Narue.

* * *

With Narue, she had turned a corner and seemingly lost the pursuing ninja. She took this chance to wipe some sweat from her brow and then looked into a piece of scrap glass that lay against the wall.

"Wow, am I ever a mess!" Narue laughed, checking herself out. She wasn't a really tall girl, like Ino or Sakura... But then again, girls were weird if they were too tall, if you asked Narue's opinion. Also, where her height lacked, she made up for with her chest. She wore a maroon-red t-shirt under a vibrant orange jacket with a blue collar, along with orange trousers, and the standard blue sandals.

She chuckled,

"Heheh, that'll teach those stupid villagers for calling me a 'monster'! Wait until I tell Hinata-chan about it..!" she laughed to herself.

"Narue..." came a dangerous tone of voice from behind her and she nearly leapt two feet into the air with shock.

"Nee! Iruka-sensei stop doing that!!" Narue gasped, turning to her academy sensei.

Iruka impatiently tapped his foot, "Maybe I will stop, once you quit it with your pranks? What were you hoping to achieve here, today??" he asked with an edge in his voice.

Narue laughed nervously, taking a step back, "Heheh. I gotta be somewhere right now, Iruka-sensei, so if you'll excuse me, I--" she was about to make like a tree, and leave, when Iruka grabbed her by her collar, pulling her back and beginning to drag her to class.

"Yeah you had to be somewhere. Namely, at the academy!!" Iruka said. Narue whined,

"Nee, Iruka-sensei, you're no fuuuuun!" she cried, struggling to get free.

"Don't make me tie you up back there!" Iruka said, continuing to drag her.

* * *

"Sorry I took so long class. Well, you all better thank Narue-chan. Thanks to her, we have to review the transformation technique, Henge no jutsu!" Iruka said to the class, holding a tied-up Narue close to his side.

"No fair, Narue!!" gasped one student.

"What the hell where you thinking!? Thanks a lot!!" spat another one, glaring at her. Narue huffed, turning her head away.

Up with Hinata and Sakura, Sakura snorted, "Typical.. That girl's asking to be kicked out of the academy, isn't she?" she said, sitting back in her seat.

Hinata lowered her gaze momentarily, before looking to Narue again, "Wh-why do you do this to yourself, Narue-chan..?" she thought sadly.

Soon, everybody had gathered at the front of the classroom, to perform the technique. It was Sakura's turn; With the application of the correct hand seal, she transformed into an almost perfect copy of her sensei. Iruka nodded, checking her off the list.

Sakura promptly turned to the boy behind her, which was Sasuke, "Did you see, Sasuke-kun? Was I good?" she asked excitedly. Sasuke glanced at her, before looking away again without a word.

"Okay, Sakura-chan, back of queue. We don't have all day." Iruka said, and Sakura sighed, retreating to the end of the queue. Next up, was Sasuke. Performing the seal, he demonstrated an almost flawless copy, before transforming back, and stalking back to the end of the queue. Finally, it was Narue's turn. Behind her was Ino, and Shikamaru.

"How troublesome. It's always your fault, that we even have to do this stuff.." Shikamaru groaned, frowning.

Ino nodded, "Yeah. Would it kill ya to be at least a little considerate, shorty?" she said cattily.

Narue frowned, not looking at them, "If you think I'm even paying attention to a hog like you, you've got another thing coming.." she muttered.

Ino gasped, "What did you just call me?!" she growled, "_First Sakura calls me it, and now her too!_" Ino thought angrily.

"Now, now, that's enough. Narue-chan, let's get this done while we're still young, huh? Stop provoking fights with classmates." Iruka stepped in, stopping the potential cat-fight.

Narue snorted, and stepped forward, performing a hand-seal with a grin, "Henge!!" she cried, and a huge cloud of smoke enveloped her. Iruka raised an eyebrow, as his other students coughed, as result from the smoke coming from Narue's transformation;

"A normal transformation technique doesn't cause such an amount of smoke. What's she up to..?" Iruka thought, frowning slightly. When the cloud of smoke dissipated, instead of the mirror-image of himself that he expected from Narue, he instead received the same old Narue, albeit, she seemed to have misplaced her clothes.

"How'd you like this, Iruka-sensei?! I call it 'Erochikku Paradaisu no Jutsu', the Erotic Paradise jutsu! You like?" Narue asked, barely containing her laughter. Iruka gaped for a few seconds, his eyes unable to divert themselves, like his other student's had, and then, he promptly fell back, blood rushing from his nostrils.

Narue huffed, and released the Henge, folding her arms,

"Gee, sensei, you're a pervert, huh?" she asked, pouting, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"HAVE YOU NO SHAME!?" screeched both Sakura and Ino, the only girls left conscious, who hadn't fainted from horror and shock. Poor Hinata lay sprawled on the floor, the trauma far too much for her.

"You're just jealous of my genius. This technique would stop any man." Narue said smugly.

"Any pervert, more like!" Ino corrected Narue, her face red with anger, and embarrassment. It was then that Iruka recovered, getting back to his feet, his cheeks burning with fury and embarrassment,

"Narue!! That was not part of the assigned jutsu..." he said dangerously, the anger bubbling up inside of him. Narue slowly turned to her sensei, a nervous giggle in her voice,

"Heheh.. Well, if you'd let me explain-" she began anxiously.

"YOU'RE CLEANING THE ENTIRE HOKAGE MOUNTAIN AFTER SCHOOL, YOUNG LADY!! NO EXCUSES!!" he screeched at her, near deafening not only Narue, but the other students as well, "As for everyone else, you may leave now." Iruka said calmly to the others, and they all quickly departed the room, fearing that they may invoke his rage.

Narue gulped,

"Damn..." she thought, as Iruka turned to her, "I'm really in deep water this time, huh?" she thought, laughing nervously to her sensei, who looked down at her, a frown still set on his face, and tissues stuffed up his nostrils. Thus he looked scary and ridiculous at the same time. Narue wasn't sure if she should be scared, or if she should laugh at him.

* * *

It was a hot day in Konoha and on their way home from school, Sakura and Ino walked side by side. They didn't look pleased. They were just on their way home from being royally pissed off by the local blond broad, Uzumaki Narue.

Ino growled in frustration, "I can't believe that girl!!" she cried, glaring at the azure blue sky above her, then looking down from it. The bright blue yonder of it all reminded her too much of the girl's eyes.

"Mm." Sakura agreed, seeming a lot less outraged than her friend.

Ino turned to her, "How come you can't be more upset about this??" she asked the girl with a frown.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "What does it matter? Narue's just being her usual idiotic self, slacking off when she should really be studying for the graduation exam tomorrow. She'll never become a kunoichi. She's doomed to failure, so she has nothing on we who work hard, who will pass." she explained.

Ino frowned, "And therefore, she has no chance with Sasuke-kun, is that what you're trying to imply, Sakura-chan?" she asked the girl, who looked to her with a determined eye, "Wake up and smell the roses, forehead! Have you ever tried to add everything together with that oversized head of yours?!" she asked loudly.

Sakura growled, "Leave my forehead out of it, Ino-Pig..!" she said dangerously.

Ino snorted in anger, "Think about it! Forget the fact that she's an idiot and check out her chest! No twelve-year old girl could hope to match her!" she said, clenching a fist.

Sakura turned to Ino, "Sasuke-kun doesn't go after large breasted blond bimbos like Narue! Or you for that matter, Ino-Pig! Sasuke-kun's mine!" she growled at her 'friend'(ha! More like her love-rival).

Ino whipped around to face her in return, "Are you ever in for a rude awakening! Sakura, you may have grown your hair out, but that doesn't mean Sasuke-kun will like you. If he even likes you at all, that is! Which I doubt!!" she said, smirking.

Sakura glared at the blue-eyed girl, "I think it's you who needs the rude awakening!!" she snapped in response.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the carvings of the Hokage likenesses, Hokage Mountain, Narue hung over the side of the carvings once again, with a wet rag and paint-remover as her tools. Grumbling under her breath, she wringed out her rag, and began scrubbing at the red swirl of paint before her. Up above her, perched on top the head of the First Hokage, Iruka peered down at her, making sure she do her job properly.

"Better hurry up, Narue-chan, if you want to get home before dark." Iruka called down to her casually. Narue looked up to him with a frown,

"And what'll be waiting back there for me, huh?" she asked snappily, before looking down again, hiding her sad eyes. Iruka softened, watching as the girl began scrubbing again. He could sense the emotions peeling off her, coming off like evaporating water, or rather, withheld tears.

Iruka sighed,

"Say--" he began.

"I'll clean your stupid monument, sensei!" Narue inputted with an edge in her voice, before resigning to silence again.

With this chance again in his favour, Iruka opened his mouth again, "How about this? After you're done with cleaning, we'll go get Ramen together." he called down to her, and the girl seemed to twitch; Soon, another twitch of her shoulders came; Iruka raised his brows, "Narue--?" he began.

"Ramen?! You know how to make a girl feel special!!" Narue looked up, beaming at him with watery eyes. Iruka nearly laughed. How a girl could like the cardboard junk-food with such a passion really was astonishing. With her new-found motivation at hand, Narue began to enthusiastically scrub the paint off the stone, ready for a good meal courtesy of Iruka.

* * *

Later on, in the quiet Ramen stand in the middle of Konoha, Ichiraku Ramen, the only ones eating there were Narue and her academy sensei, Iruka. Narue was excitedly waiting for her next, fourth helping of Miso Ramen. Iruka leaned on his hand, gazing at the blond beside him,

"Hey.. Narue-chan?" he asked her.

Narue didn't turn to him, but still answered, "Yeah Iruka-sensei?" she nodded, watching as the stall owner stirred the ingredients around and around in the pot, licking her lips to clean the drool from her chin.

"About the monument... You know who the people carved into it are, don't you?" he asked his student.

Narue nodded, "Uhuh. They're the four Hokage's of this village; Shodaime-sama, Nidaime-sama, the old man, and Yondaime-sama. Yondaime-sama was rumoured to be the best of them all, who killed that Kitsune-teme, twelve years ago." she replied. Iruka nodded, smiling a little, thankful that she at least paid some attention to her Shinobi History classes. But still, he didn't understand.

"Then why? Why would you do that to such an important focal point of this village, and disgrace the Hokage like that?" Iruka questioned her further.

Narue cheered, as her Miso Ramen arrived, and grabbed her chopsticks, "Itadakimasu!!" she said giddily, and broke the chopsticks apart.

"Narue-chan, were you listening to a thing I was--" Iruka began.

"Yeah, yeah!! And I did it because even though they're like village heroes or something, it doesn't matter all that much to me. Because I'm gonna out-hero them all! I'll become the best Hokage there's ever been! Oh yeah!!" Narue said dramatically, poking her chopsticks towards her sensei. Iruka blinked at her several times, then sighed with a small smile playing on his lips.

"Is that so?" Iruka muttered.

"Yeah!! Not only that but the first girl Hokage! Wouldn't that be cool?!" Narue asked enthusiastically, and began chomping on her Ramen, wolfing the lot down. Iruka chuckled,

"It certainly would be.." he mused. Narue finished her bowl pretty soon, and turned to her sensei again,

"Oh... Say, sensei..?" Narue asked, blushing lightly.

Iruka raised his eyebrows at her, then decided to answer, "Yeah Narue-chan?" he asked her casually. Narue fidgeted, prodding her thumbs together, a habit that was derived from watching Hinata do something along the lines of it, so many times.

She then spoke up, "That forehead protector of yours... Can I..? Can I try it on?" she asked nervously.

Iruka blinked, then laughed, " Oh, this? Sorry, no dice Narue-chan. You need to graduate from the academy before you're allowed to wear one of these!" he said, laughing again, then digging into his own Beef Ramen.

Narue pouted, disappointed, then turned away to huff, "Spoil sport!!" she cried, and Iruka laughed again.

* * *

Soon, it was a new day in Konoha, and it was the day of the Genin exam, where either you'd pass the examination and become a certified Genin, or you'd fail and need to re-sit it. Like Narue had done, twice now. If she failed today, it would be thrice. Not good for the personal records, and Narue knew that all too well. That's why she was totally going to try her absolute hardest.

"Very good Umarani-kun. Next up, Uzumaki Narue!" Iruka said, popping his head into the classroom after waving a passing student off. Narue looked up, her eyes wide with anticipation. She nervously stumbled after her sensei, ready to give it her best shot.

"_I can do this! I have to do this, or I'll be a laughing stock all over again!_" Narue thought to herself, stepping inside the examination room after Iruka, where another guy, with medium length silver hair, wearing a chuunin vest, as well as a kindly(all too kindly) smile on his face. Iruka took a seat, leaving Narue in the middle of the room.

"Okay, Narue-chan. I hope you revised your Bunshin technique." Iruka said, and Narue gulped.

"_Aw, crap!! A Bunshin? Out of all the techniques, it has to be the one I suck at!!_" Narue panicked mentally.

"Give it your best shot." the silver haired chuunin smiled at her.

Narue sucked in a breath, "_There's nothing to worry about. I can do this, and then I'll get my head-band. Easy as pie!_" she thought determinedly, gulping again, as she whipped her hands into the correct handseals, before landing on the last sign, "Bunshin no Jutsu!!" she cried, and smoke expelled from her body, filling the room. Iruka and the silver-haired chuunin watched expectantly.

When the smoke cleared, Iruka sighed wearily, "Narue-chan..." he began, and Narue looked to him anxiously, "You... FAIL!!" he cried out, and Narue fell backwards in shock.

She scrambled to her feet, her eyebrows furrowed, "B-But..! I-I really tried my best this time!" she gasped.

"I'm very sorry, Narue-chan.. But.. Every student should be able to form at least 3 of them, and yours is... down-right pathetic. Hardly passable as a human being." he explained, "I have no choice, but to--" Iruka began, when the silver-haired Chuunin interrupted him.

"Hey, Iruka... C'mon, it should be okay, just this once. After all, Narue-chan's come here 3 times now, trying her hardest every time. Perseverance is an admirable quality in a shinobi, and I think that--" he explained, but Iruka sighed.

"I can't do it, Mizuki." he told his examining partner, then turned to an upset Narue, who was tearing slightly, "I'm sorry, Narue-chan. You fail the Genin exam." he told her sadly.

Narue shook her head, "You'll see..! This won't hold me back. Nothing will!!" she said, and stormed out of the room. Iruka stretched out his arm after her, then sighed and retracted it, looking to his knees.

Mizuki smirked to himself.

* * *

Narue sat in a tree, swinging his legs back and forth, watching the graduating students below her with tiny droplets of tears begging to be set free. She saw below her all of her classmates; Dog-breath, Kiba, the hog and the cherry-top, Ino and Sakura. The bug kid, Shino, the Uchiha bastard... and Hinata, too. Heck, even the laziest of them, Shikamaru or Chouji, made it. She was the only one who wasn't a part of the graduating body. How pitiful.

History repeats itself.

It was the same result, every time. She'd try her best, but in the end, fate was against her.

"Would you look at that? It seems that once again, that monster failed to prove herself." said one scornful woman, sneering over her shoulder at the lonely girl.

"Yeah.. But just think of all the damage it could do, if it were to become a kunoichi. Nothing good could come of it." said another woman with her, snorting.

"I agree with you completely." nodded the first woman again.

Narue hung her head low. It was the same, everywhere she went. Everyone was like that towards her. Why should she bother trying to teach them a thing or two? After all, as soon as she became the Godaime Hokage, everybody would just shut their traps. That, is why she strived for her goal. But how could she reach it, if she couldn't jump the first hurdle? What a depressing thought...

"Hey, Narue-kun." a kind voice called up to Narue, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see the silver-haired examiner, Mizuki, smiling up at her. She blinked, wondering it is, he could want, before hopping down from the tree and joining him.

* * *

Oh no! Whatever could Mizuki-sensei be planning? Poor Narue, she's desperate to pass her Genin exam, and become a fully-fledged kunoichi, but every time she trips and falls flat on her face! After failing her exam again, she's typically vulnerable to persuasion or bribery. Just the way Mizuki likes it! What will happen to Konoha's foxy prankster? _**Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!**_

* * *

**EDITED: **_16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	2. Ep 1: Someone I can truly turn to!

**Chapter 1 - Someone I can truly turn to...**

_**Last time on Kitsune no Shoujo...**_ We were introduced to the hero of this story, with an entirely different orientation. We met Konoha's foxy prankster, Uzumaki Narue, orphaned (like many) by the attack of the Nine-tailed Fox, twelve years ago. Narue was shunned by the villagers, and therefore she strived to become the first female Hokage, to gain their respect. But when she fails the Genin exam for the third time running, the dark academy sensei, Mizuki has something sinister planned. Why would he enlist the help of Narue, of all people?

**Disclaimer** I don't Naruto.

* * *

_The sun sat low in the sky, that chilly October, several years after the death of the Yondaime Hokage, and the supposed defeat of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. In the park one day, A 20 year old Iruka had found a 7 year old Narue, crying on a bench. Normally, he noted, Narue was the bright persona of her class, but not in the intelligent way. She always brought a little more warmth into the atmosphere, even if she was disruptive. It was strange, and upsetting to see such a girl cry. He had immediately went to her, patting her shoulders gently as she sobbed. With a gentle smile, he hushed her,_

_"There, there. What's happened to get you down, Narue-chan?" he asked her. Narue looked up to him with a sniffle,_

_"S-Sensei..! Th-the villagers.. th-they took my house!" she told him. Iruka's eyes glazed over.. So that's what was wrong. Iruka frowned; Just because of what happened to their Hokage, seven years ago, the villagers felt the need to use an innocent orphan as their scapegoat. They could have just blamed whoever it was that caused the Kyuubi to go on rampage, but then again, none of them had a clue who it was. And so Narue was victimised._

_"Well that's no good.. How about.. Would you like to stay with me for a while? Until we tell Hokage-sama about it?" he asked Narue and she gasped to him._

_"Really??" she asked. Iruka smiled warmly,_

_"Really." he agreed._

_Soon, Narue had moved into the home of Iruka. Iruka had very little in his home, but it was still fit for holding a child. It had held him, ever since the incident with the Kyuubi, which had landed him as an orphan, too.. Some villagers would probably say, he was just trying to find a way to make up for his ways in the past, and try to rise him from his void of lonliness, that having no parents brought. Some villagers would probably say he was selfish. Not like Iruka cared though._

_"Narue-chan? Why are you wearing such a thing?" Iruka asked, kneeling down by her and fingering the hemm of the orange dress Narue wore. The hemm just made it half-way down her thigh._

_"I-It's all I got. They told me orphans don't need lots of nice things." Narue nervously replied._

_"That's rediculous. It's way too short. I'll ask Hokage-sama if we can get you something better, tomorrow." Iruka said with a smile. Narue blushed, and bubbled,_

_"B-But you can't..!" she said._

_"Why not?" Iruka asked, tilting his head to the side. Narue's eyes darted from side to side,_

_"B-Because..! The villagers say I'm bad.. Th-that I shouldn't get nice things. B-Because I'm bad.." she said in a whisper. Iruka furrowed his brows,_

_"Don't listen to what the villagers say." he told her firmly, and Narue nodded, sniffling, "Now let's get you something to eat. You must be starving!" he said with a grin, taking her to his small kitchen. That was the night that a bond was made. That was the night Narue found her first friend, somebody who wasn't like the other villagers. And that was the night that Iruka learnt what Narue liked best._

_

* * *

_"_I wonder how you're coping, Narue-chan._" he thought to himself, as he thought back to what the Hokage had said to him. He'd explained it plain and simple, why exactly Narue acted out the way he did. That since nobody payed her heed when they weren't scorning her or spitting in her face, she decided to get a different kind of attention. Pranks were Narue's special way of expressing herself to the world as something more than what they thought of her.

All of a sudden there was a knock at the door, causing Iruka to sit up quickly, surprised. He swung his legs off his bed and went through his apartment to his front door, and opened it to find Mizuki standing there, huffing madly. Iruka blinked,

"Mizuki..? What're you--?" he began.

"There's no time! You gotta come to Hokage tower! Narue-kun stole the Scroll of Sealing..!!" Mizuki gasped at his friend. Iruka's eyes widened in surprise and shock. Narue did what now?! Here he was thinking she was depressed and whatnot, and she'd gone and pulled ANOTHER prank. Or at least, that's how it seemed.

* * *

Narue ran and skipped through the forest, humming a tune with a smile on her face. She had hoisted over her shoulder, a ridiculously large scroll, attached with a white rope around her chest. She stopped by a small, worn-down cottage in the forest, which seemed to be facing the brunt of woodworm infestation, and took a seat on a stump that had been dismembered from its tree. She took the scroll off her back and placed it on her knee, a satisfied grin on her face. She thought back to her little talk with Mizuki-sensei, earlier, on the rooftops of Konoha.

* * *

_"Iruka's just looking out for you, you know? He didn't mean to hurt you." Mizuki said to her casually, leaning back on one hand with one foot up and the other hanging off the edge of the veranda. Narue nodded mutely, and then opened her mouth,_

_"But I really wanted to pass.." she whispered, and Mizuki didn't miss it, due to shinobi training. Mizuki smirked,_

_"Well then, I suppose I have no choice but to tell you!" he said cheerily(all too cheerily). Narue looked to him, her eyebrows arcing in confusion. Mizuki grinned at her, "I'm gonna tell you a super-secret, Narue-kun." he said to her._

* * *

The plan had been tricky, sure, but thanks to her little technique, Erochikku no Paradaisu, the Hokage had quickly been (momentarily) disposed of, and she had claimed her prize. This battered up, worn-out scroll. Not to mention it was heavy, as well. But oh well! Narue was willing to overlook the down-sides, because with this scroll, she could finally become an official kunoichi.

* * *

At the same moment, around sixteen Jounin shinobi were gathered outside of Hokage tower, anxiously mumbling to one another. Mizuki and Iruka arrived at outside the tower, just as the Hokage strolled out of the front doors, a frown set on his face.

"Everyone, it has come to my attention that a non-graduate from the Ninja academy, Uzumaki Narue, has stolen a very important scroll to this village's safety. The Scroll of Sealing, created by the Shodaime, himself." the Third said, and a few mumbles came from the group, "That is why I have assembled all willing Jounin and Chuunin not away from the village on missions to find Narue, before something happens to the scroll. You will all separate, and search the village for she and the scroll, retrieve the scroll and bring both of them back here to Hokage tower." the Third explained.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!!" nodded all the Jounin, and Mizuki and Iruka. The Third nodded,

"Alright, then. GO!!" he said, raising his hand and all dashed off in different directions to begin searching for Narue. The Third took a heaving breath in through his pipe, staring out into the night sky, "Something tells me that there is more than what meets the eye. What do you think, Yondaime-sama?" he asked, glancing to the Hokage mountain, clean as a whistle. The silence that followed caused the Third to smile, because he could feel that the Fourth agreed. Call it a connection from beyond the death. It was easier for one to hear when they got older...

Narue sat back, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. Her fringe stuck to her face, the perspiration dribbling off her forehead. Through surviving an exhausting session of trial and error, Narue was confident in her ability to pass Iruka's final exam, although she didn't know when she was meant to be tested. She was sure she'd know sooner or later.

"I finally found you Narue..." came a tightly controlled statement, and Narue turned to see her sensei trying his hardest not to explode with anger at her. Narue laughed out loud,

"Heheh! I found you, ya nosebleed dumbass!!" she said dramatically, leaping to her feet, shedding her previous exhaustion to point at her sporadically twitching sensei.

"No I'm the one who found YOU!!" Iruka retorted, his eyes wide with frustration, "What in the name of Hokage-sama possessed you tonight?!" he pressed, furious.

"Eh? I memorised one of the jutsu on this scroll! I'm ready to retake the gennin exams, Iruka-sensei!" Narue shrugged off her sensei's apparent ticked-off person, and clenched her fists excitedly.

Iruka blinked, "Huh? Who told you that you would pass for learning a jutsu off the scroll?" he questioned her warily.

"Mizuki-sensei did!" Narue said excitedly, "I'm ready whenever you say, sensei!" she added, grinning broadly. Iruka allowed his eyes to widen in realisation. So Narue wasn't the true culprit, but rather, it was--

"Get out of the way, Narue-chan!!" he gasped, pushing her roughly out of the way before being pelted with several kunai and shuriken, being pushed against the wall by the attack. Iruka grunted in pain, and pulled a kunai from his thigh. Narue confusedly looked at her now injured sensei, and then turned to a new voice as it entered.

"Seems I've been uncovered!" chuckled the silver-haired sensei, Mizuki, perched upon a tree branch nearby. Narue's eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes widened, unable to comprehend why her two sensei were pitted against each other in such an intense glaring contest.

"Mizuki!! I should have known it from the start!" Iruka hissed.

"What? What's going on??" Narue asked, her eyes darting from one sensei to the other. Mizuki smirked, holding out a hand,

"Give me the scroll, Narue-kun. Iruka will only use it for the wrong kinds of things." he told her firmly. Narue blinked, confusion etching across her features. Iruka plucked another kunai from his shoulder blade,

"Don't listen to Mizuki, Narue-chan!" he barked to her and Narue jumped slightly. Mizuki's features became overshadowed,

"Narue-kun, who will you trust? The person who has little faith in your abilities as a kunoichi, having failed you three times already? Or me, the only one who was willing to give you a chance, out of the entire staff body?" he asked the girl. Narue shook her head, trying to blink away the confusion and how lost she was.

"Don't listen to him!! Mizuki will only use the scroll for his own selfish ambitions! Protect that scroll with your life, Narue-chan!! Are you listening to me?!" he asked.

"Wh-wha? I don't get it.. What's going on?" Narue asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I've been caught, eh, Iruka? Well I suppose it couldn't hurt to knock the two of you off. It'll be hard to cover up for the death of a chuunin, but nobody'll really care if I knock off Narue-kun here." Mizuki said darkly, and Narue shivered, "Wanna know why?" he asked the girl, and Narue seemed to be inwardly questioning if she did.

"Don't you dare, Mizuki!!" gasped Iruka, plucking some shuriken from his gut and right arm.

"Wanna know why everybody wants you dead..?" Mizuki asked again, the snorted, "You've heard about the battle between Yondaime-sama and the Kyuubi, haven't you?" he began.

"MIZUKI!!" Iruka gasped again, wheezing slightly from his wounds.

"You're the only one in the village who doesn't know.. But that's because a law was made, that it would be kept from you. They hid it from you entire life, as they were afraid of how you'd react." Mizuki added, his smirk seemingly permanent, and growing to consume his features.

"Wh-wha? But why would they..?" Narue asked quietly.

"Mizuki! That's enough, you know it's forbidden!!" Iruka growled dangerously.

"The Kyuubi didn't die, but rather it was sealed within your belly, Narue! You are the Kyuubi, the Nine-tailed Fox!! Everybody hated you!! Nobody could stand to let you walk as a ninja; Even Iruka hates your guts for killing his parents all those years ago!!" Mizuki declared, and Narue looked as if he'd just hurled a windmill shuriken in her gut. She looked broken with distraught.

"Wha..." she managed to utter before losing her voice. The Kyuubi? That's what she was? Is that why all the villagers always looked to her with sheer resentment? Why mothers hid their children's eyes from her? Why she was alone all those years? Why nobody cared? Why everything she was privileged to own, was taken away from her..?

"MIZUKI, you FOOL!!" Iruka gasped. Mizuki took a large shuriken, one of a set of two, from his back, and with a laugh, he prepared to throw.

"And now I'll claim eternal glory by ridding the Hidden Leaf village of their curse!! Prepare to DIE!!" Mizuki screamed, throwing his weapon to her with deadly precision. Being too stunned by her new discovery, trying to come to terms with it, Narue was frozen in place like a deer in the head-lights.

"Narue-chan!!" Iruka gasped, and within a moment, he did the first thing that jumped into his mind.

_Schlick_

"I-Iruka-sensei...!" Narue managed to splutter, as she lay pinned beneath her sensei, and he hung over her, his head hung, and a giant shuriken lodged in his back, through the customary red swirl that was imprinted on the back of the vest. Iruka grunted, as a thin trail of blood dribbled out through his lips, slipping down his chin before patting down on the ground beside Narue, and Iruka smiled slightly. And then, Narue felt the salty wetness of tears patting down on her face, as her sensei allowed tears to fall from his face, and he scrunched his face up in pain.

"N-Narue-chan... I'm _so sorry_..! I-I never meant to let you be alone.. Please.. forgive me..?" Iruka asked through a strangled choke. Narue shivered, tears creeping into the corners of her azure irises, and then she turned, and dashed away from beneath Iruka, disappearing into the forest; "NARUE-CHAN..!!" Iruka gasped, then spit out some blood as it forced its way out like vomit.

Mizuki leapt down from his spot in the trees, looking disappointed that he'd missed his intended target, yet at the same time satisfied to have landed his mark so efficiently on Iruka. After all, right on target, it had hit the centre of the red spiral of the Konoha chuunin costume. Quite a feat, you had to admit.

Mizuki smirked,

"She'll turn her back on the village now, taken over by her rage and distraught.. Looks like it's just you and me. I'll have to retrieve the scroll from her later, when I kill her." he said, as Iruka grunted, sitting up and pulling the shuriken from his back.

"You'll need to get through me, first!!" Iruka said determinedly, flinging the shuriken towards his opponent. Mizuki dodged it with ease, leaping to the air before landing not far from his previous location, a smirk ever-present.

"So be it, Iruka..!" he sneered, and dashed towards Iruka, only to run right by him, giving chase to Narue. Iruka snarled, and dashed after Mizuki.

* * *

"Narue-kun!!" Iruka called, gaining on Narue quickly. Narue looked over her shoulders, then watched as Mizuki caught up with her and jumped from branch to branch in time with her. "Narue-kun, quickly, hand over the scroll while Mizuki isn't here!" he said, offering a hand. Narue blinked, then smirked, dashing towards the man, and tackling him like the most cringe-worthy moments of American football matches. Iruka took the hit poorly, tumbling backwards and rolling over his shoulders as he slammed into the ground.

Narue landed nearby, collapsing tiredly onto her rear-end, gasping for air. As soon as Iruka regained control of his course of travel, he clung to the earth beneath him, clawing at it as he slowed his movements, before looking suspiciously over his shoulder to Narue,

"How did you know I wasn't Iruka, Narue-kun?" he asked, transforming back into Mizuki. Narue smirked, and transformed back into Iruka, before leaning back against a tree tiredly,

"For one thing, I'm Iruka. In addition, you know I always call Narue by the 'chan' suffix." he explained through shallow pants for air. His wounds were easily getting the better of him. That one tackle had taken every ounce of strength he had to spare. Mizuki smirked, chuckling under his breath,

"I see.." he murmured.

Nearby, the true Narue sat behind a tree, looking over her shoulder while quietly panting herself, the Scroll of Sealing hugged tightly to her chest as she watched her sensei converse with one another hostilely.

"Hu hu hu.. How brave, and yet foolish. Saving the murderer of your own parents. Tell me, what do you think will happen if she survives this little event?" Mizuki questioned.

"Then perhaps the world is a little safer from scum like you.." Iruka responded evenly.

"Foolish! Narue and I are like two peas in a pod. We'll use the scroll's powers for our own 'selfish' needs! The demon within her hungers for such power. Surely, even you can agree to that, Iruka." Mizuki said and Narue frowned in her hiding spot.

"Yeah.." Iruka agreed and Narue quietly gasped to herself.

"_So sensei really does feel that way.. He's hated me all along..!_" she thought, fighting back hot, angry tears. But then, Iruka spoke again,

"Perhaps that is what the fox is. Most likely. On the other hand, however she may screw up all the time, she always gives it her all, never giving up. She's grown up facing the hating stares of the villagers.. She's recieved the skill of empathy. She knows pain, all too well. But she's not the fox. She's a citizen of Konoha.. Uzumaki Narue! And she will always have my respect!" Iruka said sincerely, and Narue was unable to contain herself any more. She choked out a sob, and then let the tears fall freely down her face, gritting her teeth to bit back the hysterical relief that bubbled up inside of her.

Mizuki grunted annoyedly, then laughed,

"Well isn't that sweet!? Just hearing it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!! Heh! Well I was planning to leave you 'till afterwards but I decided I can't stand the sound of your whiney, pathetic voice anymore! You're mine, Iruka!!" Mizuki snarled, taking his other shuriken from his back, and twirling it 'round his index finger in preparation for attack.

Iruka smirked,

"_So.. this is it..? This is where I die..?_" Iruka thought to himself, as Mizuki hurled the shuriken at him, "_At least I was able to.. say how I truly felt, whether she heard it or not._" he thought, closing his eyes, ready to meet death's icy touch. A loud smack followed by a shaving sound flying off into the distance caused him to open his eyes once more.

"Don't you dare hurt my sensei!!" came the growl of Narue, as she stood strong, a heated glare intended for Mizuki hanging in her eyes.

Mizuki groaned, picking himself up, and snickered at the young girl, "Well bring it on, fox!! I'll destroy you with a wave of my hand!!" he roared at the girl.

"Narue--!! Get the hell out of here, it's too dangerous!" Iruka gasped. Narue put her hands together in an unfamiliar seal, forming a cross with the index and middle finger of each hand, with the scowl still present on her features.

"You can do whatever the hell you want to me, but I'll return it to you, a hundred times over!!" Narue snarled, and focused her chakra, "Kagebunshin no Jutsu!!" she called out, and smoke filled the battle field. Iruka watched carefully, and then, his eyes widened to their limits. Mizuki also seemed to be rather shocked. Filling the clearing, hanging from trees or leaning on tree trunks, everywhere you looked, hundreds of Narue's surrounded the two chuunin.

"Wh-What the-!! How does an undergraduate know such a technique..!?" Mizuki gasped, his eyes darting from one of the hundreds of clones to another quickly. The clones and the original all smirked,

"What's the matter, bastard chuunin?! I thought you were going to destroy me with a wave of your hand!!" they all cried in harmony.

Iruka sucked in a breath, marvelling at Narue's impeccable handiwork, "_Amazing.. She mastered a Jounin level jutsu in less than half a day. Narue-chan really is something.._" he thought breathlessly. Narue punched a fist into her other hand, and snorted,

"Well, if you won't then I will!!" she said loudly, and all Narue's in the area pounced towards the silver-haired chuunin like predators on their prey. Mizuki's eyes widened to their fullest capacity, and then as he was attacked, he threw his head to the air, letting out a disgruntled cry of pain.

The sounds of his beatings sounded throughout the forest.

* * *

Over at Hokage tower, the Third, who had been viewing the battle at hand, sighed with relief, chuckling to himself.

Like Iruka, he could hardly believe this was the same Narue who was constantly bugging him with her pranks every other day. To master such a technique truly was incredible.

He rose to his feet, pulling his old bones with him, and began on his way outside to call the Jounin and Chuunin in from their searches.

* * *

"Wow, you really gave him a hammering, Narue-chan..!" Iruka chuckled, watching as the girl kicked an unconscious Mizuki in the gut, to which he groaned in pain.

Narue looked over her shoulder, laughing with her sensei, "Okay, I guess it was overkill, huh? Sensei are you okay?" she asked, going over to him and leaning over on her knee-caps.

Iruka smiled lightly, and nodded slowly, "I am thanks to you." he said and Narue blushed lightly, "Hmmm... Close your eyes, okay?" he asked her.

Narue blinked, confused at his command, then closed her eyes quickly, "Like this, sensei?" she asked him.

Iruka nodded, "Yeah, just like that. Keep them shut." he commanded steadily, while leaning forward to her. A few minutes later, he sat back, letting out a tired grunt, and laughed softly, "You can open your eyes now." he told her, and Narue opened her eyes.

She gasped, "S-Sensei, where's your.. Huh?" she looked to see a forehead protector safely secured around her forehead. She had been wondering why her sensei was fiddling around with her fringe like that.

Iruka smiled amicably, "As of this morning, you are now an honorary kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf village, as judged by your academy sensei. Congratulations, Uzumaki Narue!" he said pleasantly. Narue gasped, and sniffled, fighting back the tears. Iruka smiled, "Well? Where's your reaction--Woah!!" he gasped, as he was pinned to the tree by his ex-student who squealed with joy.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Iruka-sensei!! You won't regret it, I promise, I promise!!" Narue cried happily, nuzzling the chuunin's chest happily.

Iruka laughed, blushing lightly, "Okay, okay, take it easy here! I'm pretty battered!" he said, hugging her back.

Narue looked up, "Sorry, sensei.." she murmured, but Iruka only shook his head, smiling down at her.

Narue had grown up so much, all in the space of one night. He could have never imagined Narue would adjust to her new identity crisis so easily, but he was glad that she'd gotten over the initial shock and accepted that Iruka would still care about her, nonetheless. He was glad that he could be someone for her to turn to, no matter what, when she needed to.

* * *

And so, thanks to Iruka's sincere understanding and overruling care for Narue, our foxy protagonist managed to defeat the wayward Mizuki, and all was well once more. Not to mention, thanks to her bravery and performance, Narue is finally a kunoichi, just like she aspired to be! It's just the first stepping-stone on her path to glory, so now that her journey has begun, how will things shape up from here on out? _**Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!**_

**

* * *

****EDITED: **_16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	3. Ep 2: All you can do is believe!

**Episode 2 : Sometimes.. All you can do is believe...**

_**Last time, on Kitsune no Shoujo**_ Narue, in a desperate attempt to impress her sensei, filched the Scroll of Sealing from the library of the Hokage, under the influence of Mizuki. Iruka tried to stop him, but in the end, Narue finally learnt the truth behind the hateful stares of the villages. But Iruka insisted that she was not the Fox demon, and was her own self, and thanks to him, Narue was able to defeat the traitorous Mizuki, with her new trump-card, the Kagebunshin jutsu. Now, the day after, her journey begins. But before she can start, this shrimp just had to get in her way.

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Sateru Hitoshi was Konoha's best photographer. He took pride in photographing every single new shinobi, for their ninja ID cards, for a good 30 years now. He'd seen many unusual faces around, and taken it in a stride of course, being a strictly-business kind of person by nature. But today's candidate.. well.. She was noticeably different.

He groaned, "Hey, girl, you really want me to take a picture of you, looking like that?" he asked, frowning.

The blond before him nodded enthusiastically, "Uhuh! Uhuh! Hurry it up already, old man!!" she said loudly.

Hitoshi heaved a sigh, and got underneath the cloak of his camera, "Okay, in 3, 2, 1.." he said, and the camera flashed brightly at the girl; He came out from underneath his cloak, "I'm getting far too old for this.." he muttered, handing the photograph to the 12 year old, newly graduated Uzumaki Narue, who giggled, and bowed to him, and she left the room, bustling with energy.

* * *

Later on, in the Hokage's office, the Third too heaved a sigh, staring blankly at the photograph of what was supposed to be Uzumaki Narue's new ninja i.d. The picture was hardly what one would take seriously. Well, at least she was creative. But still, she hadn't even bothered to put on her forehead protector.

The Third tsked, "Narue, I can't accept this picture for your ID." he said, looking up to the excited looking girl sitting before her.

With a gasp, she rose to her feet, "Huh!? But why not!? I worked hard on that thing!" she protested.

The Third sighed, "It's supposed to be your ninja ID. People who are asking missions of you, are going to see this. They don't want to see such a.. such a.. ridiculous thing looking back at them." he explained with an irritated sigh.

Narue flushed pink, and frowned, "I'll show yo--" she began.

"Prepare yourself, old man!! Because today is the day where you eat--OOF!" gasped a small kid as he dashed into the room with a shuriken at hand, running towards the Third, only to trip around the long scarf around his neck. With the scarf, he wore a yellow shirt with the Konoha symbol on it, along with dark-green shorts. Encased within a strange hat, the kid must've had dark-brown hair, and his childish dark eyes were squinting shut as tears of pain threatened to spill. Narue raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the boy, as the Third sighed a third time. The kid got up, "What in the world? Somebody must've--" he spotted Narue, "You!!" he gasped.

"Me..?" Narue pointed to herself plainly.

The kid nodded, "Yeah! You're the one who tripped me, didn't you, you stupid girl!" he said, pointing an accusing finger at the girl. Narue snorted angrily, and got up, walking towards him.

"Like hell I did! You tripped yourself up, idiot." she shot back. The kid stepped back a bit as Narue stood, slightly taller than him and looking down on him. He must have been confused in getting such a denial to his declaration, but then, despite his position he snickered.

"What was that? Talking to me in such a way, you must be forgetting who I am!" he said smugly.

Narue grabbed him by the clothe of his shirt, still scowling at the kid, "I don't think we've met before, brat." she said to him uninterestedly.

The kid laughed,

"You don't even have to have met me, because everyone knows who I am! I'm the great Konohamaru, grandson of the Third Hokage!" he declared proudly. Narue stopped, and Konohamaru must've thought this to be hesitation, "Hah! Just like the rest of them..." he said, knowing that just like everyone else, Narue must've buckled under the thought of the consequences hanging for insulting, or speaking wrongly of the Third's legacy. But boy, was he ever wrong.

"I don't freaking care about that!!" Narue said, whacking him over the head.

It was just then that into the room came a tall Jounin wearing a bandanna and shades, along with a dark-blue shirt and pair of trousers standard to the Jounin uniform. The only thing missing was his vest.

The man looked straight to the Third,

"Forgive me for barging in like this Hokage-sama, but have you seen.." he trailed off, spotting Narue standing over Konohamaru, who whimpered and nursed his head wounds, "Oh dear sweet kami-sama!!" he gasped dramatically. The Third sighed,

"Settle down, Ebisu-san." he said, "Narue, remember to get that photo changed." he told the blond kunoichi, as she came and retrieved her ID. from the Hokage. Narue grumbled under her breath about the unfairness of all of it, then sighed,

"Fine, whatever!" she said, and stormed out of the room, past Ebisu, who watched her leave with a distasteful frown.

"_So that was the Kyuubi brat... I still can't believe that fool Iruka let her pass... No matter. I have more important things to attend to.._" he thought, turning to Konohamaru, only to find he wasn't there, "Oh no, where did he go?!" he gasped, looking around frantically. The Third took a sip of tea,

"I believe he followed Narue." he mentioned to the Jounin, who gasped again. This guy sure was easy to shock...

"I'd better move quickly! Who knows what ideas the Kyuubi kid could put into his head!" he said, taking after the Third's grandson and Konoha's foxy prankster. The Third sighed, and then chuckled to himself. What ideas, indeed. Hopefully they'd be good ones, but just in case, he'd better watch over them through his crystal ball.

* * *

Narue strolled down the streets, that sunny day, heading towards the photographer's studio begrudgingly. How dare the old man reject her work of art as if it weren't serious.. She was completely serious about her dream! She'd become Hokage, and she'd be a damn good one at that. She'd be a cheerful Hokage, fun-loving, and not all stoic and depressing like the others had been, apparently(well, according to her, at least). She'd heard rumors that the Fourth was relatively fun-loving, but only when there wasn't anything dire going on. She'd also heard that he was quite perverted... Narue wouldn't deny she was a little bit perverted to, after all, she made a technique that just basically removed her clothes. She wouldn't go as far as to proudly admit to being a stripper though, which she was NOT!

Narue halted her inner rambling, when she noticed a rather poorly hidden presence. In fact, she noted, it wasn't as if he was even trying to hide it. What a pathetic guy; First he's being all high and mighty because of his inheritance, and then he's following her around like some lost puppy. And they said women were fickle.

"You might as well come out - I know you're following me, oh honourable one!" she said sarcastically, looking over her shoulder. Konohamaru tripped out of his poorly applied disguise, stepping out from behind the sheet designed to look like a plan wooden wall.

"Aha! So the rumours of your skills were correct! Nothing less than I expect of you, sensei!!" Konohamaru said with flushed cheeks. He seemed to have had to run his little legs off, just to catch up with her. Had she really been walking that quickly..? Hold the phone;

"Sensei..??" Narue asked questioningly. Konohamaru nodded,

"Yeah!! I heard that you got Iruka-sensei from the Konoha academy, a chuunin, to fall for this trick you used. What was it, they called it? Erochikku Paradaisu no jutsu, that's what they said you called it!!" he explained, and noticed that Narue wasn't quite grasping the point, "I want you to teach me it!! I mean, I don't wanna just go naked or nothing! Can you tell me how to do it, only as a girl!? I'll be your loyal disciple!!" he added desperately.

Now normally, Narue would not take snot-nosed kids under her tutelage. Especially the smug kind, like this kid had been earlier on. They had to be determined, and share her opinions and... Oh who was she kidding? This was the first time anybody had ever called her 'sensei'! And they always say, when opportunity knocks!

"What do I get out of it?" Narue questioned.

"I told you, I'll be your loyal disciple!!" Konohamaru repeated obstinately. Narue sighed,

"_Meh.. Better than nothing.._" she thought, "Very well! I shall teach you!" she agreed. Konohamaru let out a 'whoop', his hands in the air. "Walk with me a while. We'll talk." Narue said, jerking her head in a gesture to follow her, before continuing down the street. Konohamaru skipped a few steps to dash after her. Narue grinned to herself; The old photographer could wait a few hours, right?

"Okay, first we need to go over the basics." Narue said.

"The basics?" Konohamaru questioned.

"The basics!!" Narue enthused, "Anyway, so first you need to know, it's all about catra when you're a ninja in training!" she began. Konohamaru raised an eyebrow,

"Don't you mean chakra..?" he asked the taller blond.

Narue twitched, then turned to him with a clenched fist, "Hey who's the sensei here?!" she asked heatedly and Konohamaru quickly apologised, "_Man.. What a stupid mistake.. Okay, regroup, and start again!_" she thought, and continued, "The main principle of Erochikku Paradaisu no Jutsu, was to just imagine myself without anything on, and then make some enhancements so it would 

'please' the masses." she said, using her fingers to put quote marks around 'please'. Konohamaru nodded interestedly.

"But in your case, you wanna become a woman, so you have to know what a woman's body would look like. We'll start off with the simple version, a henge. Let's see..." she began to look around, "Damn, no girls. Okay, then we'll improvise. Transform into me." Narue turned to Konohamaru.

"You?" Konohamaru asked. Narue growled,

"Me!! Don't make me repeat myself!" she said, a bit frustrated at the boy. Konohamaru jumped, and nodded, putting his hands together into the correct seal,

"Henge!!" he said, and a cloud of smoke surrounded him. When the clouds cleared, what Narue expected to be a somewhat decent copy of herself (after all, this kid relates to the strongest ninja in the village, doesn't he?), she was thoroughly disappointed. And angry.

"The hell!! That's not like me at all! I am NOT fat!!" she screeched, whacking the poorly made copy of her over the head, causing Konohamaru to transform back into his usual self, "We'll step it up a little. Follow me." she said again, and the two began down the street again.

Soon, they came towards a small shop, which served as a local newsagents, a place to find simple snacks, newspapers, and other types of magazines. Like the one Narue and Konohamaru had snuck in by the sleeping owner to find. Narue grabbed a copy, and handed it to Konohamaru,

"Knock yourself out." she muttered quietly, and turned to grab a different magazine to read, herself. A much less perverted one than the little boy with her was staring at, mouth agape, and cheeks red. Narue glanced over her shoulder to see the kid giggling perversely at the magazine, and rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me..." came a dangerous tone, and Narue quickly spun around to see the shop owner glaring at them, "Those magazines are for ages 18 and up. So put them down, and leave..." he said darkly, and Narue gulped, grabbing Konohamaru's hand and pulling him away from the store as fast as her legs would carry her. Which was quite fast, compared to a normal person (normal, non-ninja person, that is). They somehow managed to escape the wrath of the shopkeeper.

* * *

"Oh boy.. What's she up to this time..?" Shikamaru looked over his shoulder to see Narue and Konohamaru dash by, looking very scared for some reason. Shikamaru didn't think Narue was the kind to bother with babysitting, let alone someone so important. He remembered his old man telling him that he should look up to and respect the brat, but how was he supposed to look up to him when he was considerably taller than the kid? It was all a great big drag, to Shikamaru.

It was his first break from the academy in a long time, and he hoped for it to be much longer. After all, he'd graduated (though he had no idea how he'd managed to) from the academy and was now an official shinobi of the genin level, unlike Narue(or so he thought). Just like he wanted to. Now he could live the life he wanted, just as he planned, not having to do much of anything, and just lazing around, like he wanted to. Just live a normal life, fall in love with a normal girl, have two kids(one boy, one girl - inequality is too bothersome), raise them normally, and then die a normal life as an old man of 92. To sum it up, he wanted a normal life. End of story.

He doubted it'd be normal if he got stuck with someone like Ino, or Sakura or any of those other troublesome fan girls Sasuke was plagued with. He felt sorry for the guy, he really did. He wouldn't mind being with Chouji though. But moving on; He watched Narue and Konohamaru disappear into a street with a frown on his face, then thought about following them.

"Keh! It'd be too troublesome.." he muttered, and got back to his cloud gazing.

* * *

Narue took a gulp of her soda, sitting back on a bench in the middle of a lush forest, hidden from the rest of the park it was a part of, then she sighed. Next to her, she saw Konohamaru, swinging his legs back and forth and staring at his full carton of grape-juice. Narue sighed,

"Hey so, Konohamaru, why exactly is it, that you want to beat the old man so bad?" she asked Konohamaru, who grunted in response. Konohamaru sighed,

"You know what my name means..?" he asked her, and Narue raised an eyebrow, "My grandpa named me after this village's name, so it should be easy for people to remember my name. You'd think that, right? But it's not like that. Everywhere I turn it's 'honourable grandson' this and 'honourable grandson' that. Nobody calls me Konohamaru." he explained. Narue frowned.

She sorta understood this kid. Ever since she was born, it was always 'it' or 'monster'. Nobody ever put in the little, miniscule effort in, to just call her 'Narue', or at least give her a gender. Perhaps it was because nobody knew the gender of what was inside of her. But despite that, no matter what she tried, nobody but the Third, or Iruka had ever willingly called her by her name. There were certain barriers and limits. Perhaps some of the kids at school called her by her name. Like Hinata! She was really nice. Probably the closest thing to a friend Narue had ever had. It was too bad that her father, the head of the Hyuuga clan, forbid her to play with Narue outside of the academy. Even in the academy, Hinata was told to proceed with caution. Apart from Hinata, the only kids who called her Narue, were always patronizing, or disrespective when they did. This was another reason why she was determined to become Hokage and gain respect that she hadn't received previously.

Narue stood up, and pumped a fist,

"Okay, Konohamaru, it's time for the final stage of your training!!" she said excitedly to the kid still sitting down. Konohamaru stared at her, surprised,

"You called me.." he said quietly. Narue grinned widely,

"Well? What're you just sitting there for? Let's begin!!" she said. Konohamaru gasped, and shot to his feet with clenched fists,

"Yes sensei!! What do I do?!" he asked enthusiastically. Narue nodded,

"First, we need to fix all the mistakes in your henge. Transform into what you'd think yourself to be like as a girl, only make yourself thinner!! And don't forget the womanly curves!!" Narue said. Konohamaru nodded,

"Henge!!" he cried, hands together in the seal, and he transformed.

"Nooooo, that's not right! Thinner! More curvier!" Narue said loudly, "_Is curvier even a word..?_" she thought to herself for a moment, as Konohamaru tried again, "Still not right! C'mon, do you really think that's gonna cause any nosebleeds?! That's not sexy!" Narue barked, and Konohamaru tried again... and again... and again... and again.

Eventually, the sun was going down, and Konohamaru was a bit exhausted, so he was now drinking his grape-juice like he hadn't drank anything in months. Narue stood over him, a proud smirk on her face,

"That last henge was almost perfect, Konohamaru. Just make the stomach flatter next time, and you've got it down!" she told him, and Konohamaru nodded.

"Na... Arrigatou--" Konohamaru began.

"I finally found you, honourable grandson!!" came a voice, and the two turned to see Ebisu perched up in a tree, a triumphant smirk on his face, "You should keep your distance from that girl. She's a bad influence, and we wouldn't want you picking up any of her bad habits, now would we, honourable grandson?" he added. Narue hung her head slightly, clenching her fists and biting back her rage. Konohamaru noticed this, and stood up, pointing at Ebisu, who jumped down from his spot in a tree,

"Hey, dumbass Jounin! Narue-nee-chan's awesome so don't you dare talk down on her like that!" he said, a frown on his face.

"My, my, it seems she's already got you tainted. You should learn not to be so naive!" Ebisu sighed, frowning at Narue. Konohamaru grunted,

"Na, Jounin-baka! Check out this technique I just learnt!! Oiroke no Jutsu!!" he cried, putting his hands together in the hand seal needed. There was a cloud of smoke, and when it cleared, there stood a tall, naked woman with long brown hair, winking seductively at Ebisu. Ebisu gaped, then as Konohamaru turned back to normal, he screamed in outrage,

"What a disgusting 'technique'!! The brat has tainted you more than I had previously thought!! We will take you back to Hokage tower to wash you of these sins immediately!!" he said, grabbing Konohamaru by his scarf and beginning to drag him.

"Drat!! My technique failed! Narue-nee-chan, help me!!" Konohamaru gasped. Narue put her fingers into the cross-shape hand seal, a grin on her face,

"Got ya covered! Kagebunshin no Jutsu!!" she cried, and Ebisu was suddenly surrounded by at least 50 Narue's.

Ebisu pushed his shades up on the crook of his nose, a smirk still present,

"If you really think you have what it takes, to fight me, a Special Jounin, then so be it. But I will not hold back." he said, dropping Konohamaru and readying for battle.

The clones and the original Narue all put their fingers into a different handseal, still grinning,

"And now, for my ultimate technique!! 'Chikan Ten no Justu', A Pervert's Heaven jutsu!! Go!!" she cried, and smoke filled the area once again. Ebisu propped his shades up once more, smirking. What could a non-graduate possibly do? Of course, he'd heard the rumours of Mizuki's downfall to her, but he wasn't at the least bothered by it. He would not be defeated so easily by this technique. But as the smoke cleared, he was proven wrong.

"Ebisu-san, take me!!" screamed the army of naked woman, and they all pounced on him, glomping his limbs and batting their eyelashes seductively at him. Ebisu twitched, and then screamed, flying backwards from them with a profusely bleeding nose.

Konohamaru marvelled at her handiwork,

"W-Woah..." he murmured, as a majority of the nude clones disappeared, and the remaining original transformed back to normal, fully-clothed and chuckling, with flushed cheeks and shy smile.

"Ne, what d'you think? Did I overdo it?" she asked the kid.

"Heck no!!" gasped Konohamaru, breathless, and Narue chuckled, "But... Damn!! I'm gonna hafta work ten times as hard now, if I'm gonna get some respect! What do I gotta do to be stronger, huh? I don't have time to be fooling around with you, if I wanna be Hokage!!" he said angrily.

Narue frowned, and bopped him over head,

"Idiot, it takes more than just wanting it, to become Hokage! The Hokage is the one everybody turns to and respects! Do you have any idea how much things I've seen? It took everything I had just to get one shred of respect! It was near impossible to do! Are you really ready to take everything that comes with that responsibility?" Narue asked the kid.

"Huh? Everything that comes with.." Konohamaru began.

Narue turned away from him, "With the responsibility! Stop making me repeat myself, damn it! As I was saying, everybody has the highest respect, even I do, for the Hokage and all that have been! But sometimes, all you can do is believe! Because there's no such thing as a short-cut!" she said, looking at him from over her shoulder with a grin.

Konohamaru gaped, "Where did that come from!? Think you're so hot, girly?! That tears it! I'm not gonna be your disciple no more!! From now on, we're archrivals!" Konohamaru cried. Narue gasped quietly at the kid's declaration, then smiled,

"It's too bad I'm already a step ahead of ya. I'm a ninja, you ain't! But either way, I know that one day, we'll fight over the title of Hokage. I don't want you backing out, and you've gotta give it your all. You hear me, Konohamaru?!" she said to him. Konohamaru stared at the girl before her, unable to reply.

* * *

The Hokage chuckled, "_Well, well, Ebisu-san.. It appears Narue filled his head with good ideas, after all. Although maybe she could have held out on that jutsu. I have a feeling that will be the cause of much blood-loss, if I'm not careful.._" he thought to himself, sitting back from his crystal ball, letting out a relieved sigh.

* * *

And so, with the pesky Jounin Ebisu dealt with (and probably forever humiliated), and Konohamaru schooled in the way of honour, Narue-style, the "day of rest" before she was put on an official squad, was anything but what the name implied. With her career as a kunoichi just one nap away, what lies ahead for Narue? **_Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!_**

* * *

**EDITED: **_16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	4. Ep 3: Orientation!

**Episode 3 : Orientation!**

_**Last time on Kitsune no Shoujo**_, it was the so-called "day of rest" for all graduates of the Ninja Academy, and upon being refused her stylin' i.d. photo to be used, Narue was on her way to change it when Konohamaru, the Third's grandson declared that she be his sensei in sexiness. Oh dear. Well, with little to no hitches, Konohamaru was able to master his own version of the Erochikku Paradaisu no Jutsu, which he aptly dubbed "Oiroke no Jutsu", and together they defeated the sneaky Ebisu. And now, it's time for Narue's chaotic ninja adventure to begin! What could possibly go wrong?

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Narue shut her apartment door that morning, thumbling through her pockets to check she had everything she needed. Money, check. Ninja ID certification (the photo of which she had still been forced to change to a less eccentric version), check. House keys, check. She used those keys to lock up her door, like ordered many times by the likes of Iruka or the Third. T'was a dangerous life for the holder of the Kyuubi, right? Someone could break in at any time, to nab whatever held some amount of value. At least, if she locked it the half-witted robbers would be too stupid to break the door down, this way.

Narue was began to walk, but stopped in front of a window, to use the reflection, as she tied her forehead protector around her forehead, her fringe hanging over the cool metal and dark-blue fabric that attached it to her head. She grinned to her reflection, and then moved on before the shop-owner could complain that she was dawdling unnecessarily, again. And so, she began on her way to the academy.

About half-way there, Narue was annoyed to feel the same presence from yesterday again. She pretended not to have felt it for a while, continuing down the street, until finally, it was just so obvious that it wasn't funny, anymore.

"That's the most half-assed attempt at following someone I've ever seen! Honestly, Konohamaru!!" Narue turned around to point at the walking mushroom of brown fabric that nearly tripped upon trying to stop itself.

"Haha! You saw through my disguise, rival! Just like expected!" said Konohamaru, coming out from his poor guise. Narue blinked a few times at the boy, her eyes squinted close in a fox-like fashion, and then she sighed.

"What is it this time, Konohamaru?" she asked him, "I'm kinda busy." she added with a frown.

"Wanna play ninja with me?! You're not an academy student anymore, so you have plenty of time on your hands! How 'bout it?" Konohamaru suggested.

"Sure I'm not an academy student, but now I'm a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf. Check out the head-band for certification!" Narue said, pointing to her hatai-ate; and Konohamaru did just that; "I don't have the time to be playing around with you. I've got an orientation, today!" she added.

"An orientation?" asked Konohamaru with an adorable expression of cluelessness on his face. Narue scrunched up her face in annoyance,

"What did I say yesterday?" she asked him carefully.

Konohamaru gasped, "D-Don't make you repeat yourself?" he tried.

"Damn straight. Anyway, so I'll see you later Konohamaru. Can't be late, today of all days." Narue nodded, and began on her way towards the academy again. Konohamaru watched her leave, a little let down that he didn't have anybody to play with today. Oh well. There was always Udon or Moegi, right?

* * *

"Shikamaru!!" a voice yelled into into the ear of the one known as Nara Shikamaru, who still lay in bed, face-first into his cream coloured pillow, and his light-brown quilt cover covering his form. Shikamaru groaned, burying his face deeper into his quilt.

Oh kami-sama have mercy.. Whoever created this insanely early routine for ninja lifestyle needed to be pelted with a barrage of shuriken. No human beings could handle this, every day. Sure it was just his first day of ninja-ness, but still...

"What a drag..!" Shikamaru murmured, slowly getting up from his bed.

He stared bleakly out at the vibrant and full-of-life outdoors through his bedroom window, wondering how anyone or anything could be so damned cheerful this early in the morning. He sure as heck wasn't ready to join in, and probably never would. That'd be kinda troublesome.

"C'mon, Shikamaru, rise and shine! It's your ninja orientation today, isn't it? Come to the kitchen for breakfast, then you can set out to the academy. It's already rather late, and your dad's already out on patrol with his friend Chouza-san." Shikamaru's mother said, popping her head in the door, a smile on her face.

Shikamaru looked over to her, a tired look on his face, but instead of complaining(which would only make it even more troublesome), he wearily complied, getting up and grabbing his shinobi fish-net shirt to put on. Might as well get the day over with, after all. He had a feeling things were going to get a whole lot harder from here on out.

* * *

"Sakura-chan, good morning." Ino mentioned, turning to her ex-classmate as she spotted her upon leaving through the front door to her family's florists. Sakura turned to Ino, a slight frown on her face, which was cautiously replaced with a smile,

"Good morning, Ino-chan." she replied, and the two began to walk together towards the academy. On their way, Ino looked over to Sakura,

"So, what do you think'll happen?" she asked, and Sakura looked to her with a questioning look, "I mean, I know that originally, they said that Narue was the only one that didn't pass. But you know what I heard? I heard she was given another chance, last night, and she passed this time!" she said in a slight-whisper. Sakura snorted,

"Well that'd be kinda unfair. Isn't it regulatory that everyone's given the same chances, and if you fail, that's that?" she questioned. Ino nodded,

"That is how it goes. But word is that Narue did something so amazing that Iruka-sensei had to pass her." she agreed. Sakura frowned,

"So, what if she were a kunoichi now? She's so pathetic, she'd never be put on the same team as Sasuke-kun, anyway." Sakura said. Ino folded her arms,

"But shinobi teams are supposed to be even, Sakura. Think about it. Someone as fantastic and amazing as Sasuke-kun would most definitely be placed with the most pathetic and naturally stupid one of the lot. Don't you think?" Ino said. Sakura pouted,

"You know, by the way you speak, you make it sound as if you actually want Sasuke to go for Narue!" she pointed out. Ino gasped, looking horrified and furious at the same time,

"How dare you--! That's not what I was implying at all, billboard brow! Quit jumping to conclusions!" she gasped, "Sasuke-kun will definitely go with me anyway. You know you don't stand a chance, and Narue stands just as little of a chance as you do!" Ino added with a smug smirk. Sakura snorted, and walked ahead,

"Sasuke-kun'd never go with someone like you. He doesn't like the obnoxious kind." she said pointedly, and Ino huffed. The blond stepped up her pace to keep up with and/or take over Sakura,

"He doesn't like the annoying, clingy kind either!!" she spat back, and the race between the two to the academy began. By-passers looked on with a mixture of confused and amused faces.

* * *

Shikamaru dragged himself into the classroom, a tired groan parting from his lips, as he looked around the room miserably. So many faces, and a lot of them were Sasuke fangirls.. He could tell he wouldn't be getting any sleep with them around, and could only hope he was put on a team with quiet people. He began down the stairs, not noticing a certain blond untill he came by her. He glanced at her, then blinked,

"What the.. What're you doing here, Narue? This class is for graduating students only." he asked the excitable blond sitting at the same desk as, surprisingly, Sasuke himself. Shikamaru guessed that he was so quiet and keep-to-himself that Narue hadn't even noticed him yet. Narue turned to him with a triumphant grin, and she promptly pointed to her forehead protector tied around her head.

"Take a look see, lazy-ass! I'm an honorary ninja just like everybody else here is!! Heheheh!" she said proudly. Shikamaru sighed, looking away,

"Whatever." he muttered, going back to sit a row back. Better keep an eye on the boisterous one, troublesome as it was. There was no telling how the suspicious high-class Sasuke fan girls, Sakura and Ino, would react to Narue sitting next to their dearly beloved. On second that, Shikamaru settled for getting a good nap before the disruption started. He had a feeling he'd need all the energy he could muster today, just to cope with the trouble of it all.

"I got here first!!" came a familiar voice, allowing Shikamaru no time for rest.

"Oh jeez, what a drag." Shikamaru muttered, glancing over the door to see Sakura and Ino squabbling over who got into the classroom first, therefore earning the right to sit next to Sasuke. Little did they know, that option was already taken.

"Yeah right, billboard brow! My big toe was at least three inches ahead of your big toe! I got here first, so I get to sit next to-- Hey where do you think you're going, forehead!?" Ino said loudly, watching as the pink-haired kunoichi gasped and began marching over to one of the rows of the seats.

"Narue, what the hell are you doing here, and sitting next to Sasuke-kun!?" Sakura asked the girl. Narue looked to her with a frown,

"Huh? I'm not next to--" she noticed Sasuke, "Oh. Well, so what?! I'll bet he prefers me over you sitting next to him, clingy-fan girl Cherry top!" she retorted, sitting back and folding her arms. Sakura growled, and grabbed Narue's arm, attempting to drag her away, but Narue pulled away, and climbed up on the desk, hands propped on her hips; "You annoy me, cherry top! There's nothing special about this guy and yet you march around in those packs of screamy fangirls, acting like he's kami-sama's gift to Konoha!" Narue said, a frown still planted on her face.

Sakura burned with anger,

"Shut up!!" she cried at him, then turned to Sasuke, "Ne, Sasuke-kun? Who would you prefer to sit next to? Me or that annoying Narue-baka?" she asked him shyly. Sasuke glanced to them, then without a word he looked away again. Ino then joined the 'party',

"What do you think you're doing, forehead? Of course he'll say no to both you and the shrimp. I got here first, so I'm entitled to sitting next to Sasuke-kun!" Ino said confidently. It was then that the other fan girls flocked in like vultures, complaining about how they'd gotten there before either of them, thus they got to sit with Sasuke. Narue watched this with a glare, and with a low growl, she climbed on top of the table, and began moving over to crouch in front of Sasuke. Shikamaru looked on warily. This couldn't turn out good, no way. Something just had to go wrong, and it was most definitely going to be a drag.

Sasuke sensed the closeness of his face and another, and warily opened his eyes, to meet the glaring blue irises of the blond moron that he usually payed little to no attention to. He offered a glare in return. Meanwhile, Narue mentally rambled,

"_Hmph! He's arrogant, he's cold-hearted, he's introverted and a cocky bastard! He's not even that good looking and that superiority complex of his just pisses me off!! What in the hell do all these girls see in him!?_" she thought, glaring into Sasuke's pure black eyes. Sasuke too had his mind on the girl before him,

"_She has absolutely zero-talent. Why is she even here? I swear, if she doesn't get out of my face, I'll personally remove it for her._" he thought, hardening his gaze. A row in front, Kiba howled with laughter,

"And that's what she said..! Haha!!" he laughed, hitting the desk with his fist, while talking to the silent, irresponsive Aburame beside him, also swinging back his elbow as he gestured wildly the actions that had taken place in whatever it is he found so funny.

"I don't care." muttered Shino, propping his shades back up on the crook of his nose.

A row back, Kiba's movements had caused quite a shock for the arguing fan girls who had stopped to look at the accident. Narue's and Sasuke's eyes widened considerably at the contact, unable to bring their minds back into function as the heat blazed through their lips. Eventually, Narue managed to kick herself back into gear, and tumbled back onto the desk, quickly bringing her hands to her throat to choke. Sasuke too, turned away to show his displeasure through choking. A row further back, Shikamaru grimaced, disgust apparent on his face,

"_So troublesome..!_" he thought, "_But it would have been even more troublesome if it'd been two guys.. Urgh, just thinking of it makes me sick._" he added as an after-thought.

Sakura promptly screamed at the top of her lungs, horrified, she stumbled back,

"_I-I can't believe it..! Narue was Sasuke-kun's--!!_" she stammered mentally, "_**That bitch stole Sasuke-kun's first kiss!! I'm going to kill Narue!! CHA!!**_" Inner-Sakura screamed, punching the air as if it were an invisible Narue-dummy punching bag, or something. Ino too, was horrified and infuriated, however, she like the rest of them, were too sickened by the reality of it all, that they couldn't speak. And so, Sakura decided to.

"Urgh, I can't believe I kissed that--" Narue muttered, feeling plain violated in every way possible. Skin-contact with the Uchiha bastard! The worst thing ever!! _Gross!_

"Narue..." came a dangerous voice, and Narue turned to see Sakura glaring heatedly at her. Narue was shocked that she actually felt partially afraid of Sakura right now, but quickly shook it off to shoot a smirk her way,

"Heh! What's the matter, cherry top? Disappointed that you weren't his first?" she asked the pink-haired girl, who flushed hot-pink at the cheeks.

"I--!! I'm going to kill you!" Sakura screeched, but just then, Iruka entered the room, dispelling any fights that would or may have taken place if he hadn't been there. Iruka walked to the middle of the room with a clip-board under his arm, and turned to face the graduates before him. He frowned at seeing the crowd around where Sasuke and Narue were sat.

"Okay, everyone, settle down. I'll first discuss what lies ahead of you, before announcing your teams." he said, "Everyone, take their seats!" he added strictly, and the fan girls begrudgingly fell back to their seats. Sakura took opportunity when it knocked and quickly climbed over Narue to sit next to Sasuke, who was still rubbing his lips harshly. Ino glared at the pink-haired fiend, and took the next closest seat, next to Shikamaru, who frowned at her with displeasure.

"Alright then, let's get started.." Iruka said, getting on with introductions to ninja lifestyle.

Time passed, and eventually, Iruka was done with his speech on what-not-to-do as a ninja, and what lay ahead, and had already announced the first six teams.

"Team 7! Uzumaki Narue." Iruka said, and everybody from the body of the Sasuke-fan club quickly glared at Narue, who stuck her tongue out at the fan girls. Iruka continued, "Uchiha Sasuke." and the glares become even more dangerous. Narue merely faked a gag, to show how much she didn't like the idea, but waited to see who else would be in her group. After all, it couldn't be a fan girl (thank the lord for that) since she was a girl, and from her limited knowledge, she knew that meant the final member had to be a guy. One girl to each squad, that's what the scroll she'd been reading had said. Normally she'd just screw the rules, but this time, she was actually thankful for them.

Everyone sat tense on their seats, wondering who'd be paired with the mighty Uchiha Sasuke, top achiever of this year's class, or who'd have to put up with Narue's antics for the rest of their lives. Iruka chuckled at the class's behaviour, and cleared his throat, ready to announce the final member of the group,

"And the final member of Team 7 will be..." he began.

* * *

Elsewhere, the Third had gathered this year's roster of Special Jounin to his tower, to watch those who would soon become the genin under their training schedules. Amongst those, bearing a disgusted face, was the beautiful, newly promoted Jounin, Yuuhi Kurenai, who's dark, curly hair hung over her crimson red eyes, her forehead protector firmly applied to her forehead, and wearing a strangely designed dress which pertained of several scroll like appendages that wrapped around her form in a criss-cross fashion, along with one long red sleeve, and finally, some ninja sandals.

Also there was a apparent relative of the Third, Sarutobi Asuma, who let a cigarette hang from the space between his lips, his dark-green eyes also showing signs of disgust, but at the same time, amusement danced in those same eyes. His dark hair was propped up and spiked slightly, with the help of his forehead protector, and unlike Kurenai, he wore the customary Jounin vest, long sleeved shirt, and pants, with bandages tied around his right thigh for a kunai holster, and a pair of ninja sandals wrapping his feet.

Finally, another intriguing Jounin. His bushy silver hair was also propped up with the help of his forehead protector, which may have been sloppily applied, as it hung over his left eye, covering it completely and the mask that covered his entire lower-face meant the only part of his face visible was the area around his right eye. He too wore the customary Jounin uniform, and ninja sandals. He too had amusement and intrigue dancing in his pure-black iris.

The Third heaved a sigh, the smoke from his pipe escaping his lip,

"Well, abnormalities aside, these are the genin of which you will have under your placement as of today. As you know, whether they pass or not, relies on your judgements only." the Third said, thankful when Iruka too arrived on the scene to calm everyone, "Any questions may be asked now." he added, and the silver-haired jounin nodded, "Yes, Kakashi?" he asked the same Jounin.

"So the blond girl... that's Narue, right? And the guy she err, you know, that was Uchiha Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, chuckling at the new memory. He'd definitely use this as blackmail, some day.

"Yes, they are both as you say. I assume you are alright with having the other one on their team as well? Asuma, I hope this doesn't bother you." the Third asked the two Jounin. Asuma breathed in the stress-relieving puff of smoke from his cigarette, then sighed it out through his nostrils,

"It's a disappointment, true, but I think Kakashi-san may be able to work wonders for the kid's motivation, too. It's going to be a drag to have two girls on my team, though." he replied.

"I'll be sure to train him well, on your behalf, Asuma-san." Kakashi mentioned to the strategist. Asuma shook his head,

"I have much faith that you will." he agreed. Kakashi shrugged,

"But then again, it all depends on whether or not they pass my test.. So I may well not even get the chance to, anyway." he added. Asuma shook his head again,

"You're such a sadist, Kakashi-san." he chuckled, and Kakashi shrugged again.

* * *

Back in the classrooms, Team 7 had been properly announced, as had Team 8, which consisted of Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino, and Team 10, which consisted of poor Akimichi Chouji and two very loud girls. Shikamaru felt utmost sympathy for the guy who was his best friend since pre-school years, he really did. Nobody deserved to put up with that every day. He really wished Iruka had just put him there instead of one of the girls. He heaved a sigh, taking time to contemplate his own situation. Sure it wasn't as bad, being placed with an anti-fan girl rather than an actual one, but...

"Okay, then. We'll have a one hour break. Everyone take this time to eat with your new team-mates and get to know one another. If you need me, I'll be in the staff common room." Iruka said, leaving the classroom quickly to avoid any disapproving protests.

Shikamaru sighed, and hauled himself up from his seat, and strolled out of the classroom, hands in his pockets. He didn't bring a meal. Carrying it would have been troublesome, and the whole try-my-latest-recipe thing his mother had going on was something any sane person would do their best to avoid. Honestly, he didn't want to be stuck on the toilet all afternoon! Jeez.

Upon exiting the inner workings of the Academy, Shikamaru breathed in the warm Spring time air, glad to be out of that dump for at least a little while. He looked to the sky, enjoying the sight of the cotton white clouds mingling with one another in the clear blue skies. Now these were sort of things Shikamaru would class as not-troublesome. He could just sit back and watch the clouds roll by for hours on end, not having to worry about a single thing. That's what he became a ninja for, so he'd not have to deal with running that dumb Shika dear farm-thing, that he's father had set up. Sure it was important for some medicine and stuff, but it was too much of a drag! After all, he was just 12! Life needs to be lived, even if it's on the slow lane.

"Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kuuuun!" Shikamaru was brought out of his thoughts by the annoying voice of one Haruno Sakura. He looked down from the sky to frown disapprovingly at the girl,

"Oi! You're so troublesome... The guy's not even on your team, so why don't you spend time with your actual team-mates, instead of chasing after the guy like a lost puppy. " Shikamaru called over to her. Sakura turned around to glare at him,

"I don't need to be given advice from a slacker like you!" she retorted, and turned around again, "Sasuke-kuuuun! Where are you?!" she began calling. Shikamaru sighed,

"Hmph! Narue was right. She is a troublesome clingy fan girl. I almost feel sorry for the guy." he muttered, and began on his way to find Chouji. Since he knew there was little to no chance of Ino actually hanging out with him out of her free will, he might as well make sure his friend wasn't alone. 'Cause that's what good friends do - They stick together, through thick and thin!

* * *

Little did Sakura know, she was going in the complete wrong direction; Sasuke, using his excellent shinobi skills which he had honed over the past 12 years of his entire life (well okay, only since his father would permit him to handle such things, like say, seven years ago), he had smartly stayed inside the academy when Iruka had told everyone to go do whatever for lunch. He sat on the window sill of the storage room, a rice ball at hand, and a bored look on his face. Not that he missed his fan girls, or anything. He'd trade stupid fan girls for boredom any day. He took a bite out of his rice ball, savouring the fruits of his half-assed effort of making a suitable snack for himself that morning.

Sasuke then put a finger or two to his lips, thinking back to the event from earlier, before Iruka had come to extinguish the flames of his fan club. The taste of her lips still lingered on his own, and it irritated him. Why on earth did it feel so right, and yet so wrong at the same time?? He scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion, and took another bite out of his tomato rice ball to take his mind off of the kiss.

And little did Sasuke himself know, Narue was quietly sneaking up behind him, mission-impossible style, a devious smirk on her face as she closed in. And then, all in the blink of an eye, Sasuke found himself pinned to the floor by the blond, whom he noted had quite nice thighs.

Sasuke inwardly slapped himself and cursed several times. What the hell was that all about?! Narue's thighs should be the least of his concern. He'd convinced himself years ago that he would never have hormones, and thus, would never think this way about anyone or anything. Especially not of the opposite sex(but then again, if it was a guy that'd be even more disgusting)!

Sasuke smirked to himself, and once again applying his awesome ninja skills, he quickly turned the tables, he himself on top of Narue, with rope that Narue had been hoping to use on him, now in his own hands. He smirked,

"Nice try." he said, and proceeded to tie her up efficiently. Nobody could match his rope tying skills. Nobody. That was all there is to it. Sasuke got to his feet, and brushed some imaginary dust off his shoulders, only to gasp as Narue disappeared by his rope bindings, "What?!" he asked, and quickly spun around to see four Narue's free-falling towards him from the ceiling. Oh hell..

Sakura sighed, and slumped down into her seat with her lunch box. Sure she knew Shikamaru spoke so much sense, even if it seemed like he didn't care at all. Actually, scratch that, it was probably true that he held little sentiment for her situation. The lazy oaf never made an effort to get his hands dirty for a good cause, so why should he start now, that he was a ninja? That guy would never change. That's what Sakura predicted. But back to him speaking sense. He was right. Sasuke wasn't a member of her group. She should really make an effort to hang out with Ino, and that big guy who she'd been placed with. Chou-something.

It's not like Sasuke would give her the time of day... Sakura sighed, and sat forward, her chin resting in her hands. She then noticed the boy standing across the way from her, leaning against the tree with his arms folded. She gasped.

"S-Sasuke-kun..?" Sakura asked, looking right at the boy before her. Sasuke smirked, and began walking towards the girl,

"Hey. I needed to speak to you, is that okay?" he asked and Sakura eagerly nodded, awaiting his question, "I know we should be focusing on our careers as ninja, now, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. Sakura, you make me feel things.. things that I can't even begin to describe to you." Sasuke said, smiling at her, a pink tint in his cheeks.

"Sasuke-kun..!" Sakura gushed, her cheeks crimson with modesty, "_**CHA!! TAKE THAT INO-BUTA!! CHA!! SASUKE-KUN LIKES ME, HELL YEAH!!**_" Inner-Sakura screamed with joy, laughing at a pin-up picture of Ino which had a moustache and other unappealing features drawn on her face with marker-pens and a dart stuck in the middle of her forehead. Sasuke snorted,

"Kidding. I can't believe you actually fell for it!" he said, folding his arms. Sakura looked as deflated as a balloon with a tack stuck into it. She slumped over slightly. Sasuke took one of his hands and put it on her shoulder,

"Sakura.. Stop stalking me, okay? It's not a healthy hobby. Go find yourself a guy who actually cares about you." he said to her, and Sakura looked into his eyes, looking like she might cry. Sasuke smirked, "I'm not worthy of someone like you." he added. Sakura flushed pink again. So he did care!! Hell yeah!! Before Sasuke could react, she quickly grabbed him by the neck and pulled him into a passion-filled kiss, making the effort to show him just how much she appreciated his compliments. But little did she know. Little did she know!

* * *

Sasuke lay restlessly in the storage cupboard, tightly bound and furious right down to the letter 'f'! Sure he was still a bit flushed by being ganged up on four big-breasted twelve year old clones, and tied up like they were going to do... things(!) to him, but he was also majorly embarrassed. He was going to send Narue to hell, and back, then once again once he got out of this binding. She would _not_ get away with this!!

* * *

It was a good four hours later, and Narue had managed to drag herself out of the girls bathroom, looking positively ill and quite shaken too. She couldn't believe what Sakura had just done!! And she said Narue had no shame!? Well, perhaps it was a bad idea to disguise herself as Sakura's love interest. Yeah... Never doing that again!! Hell no!! Her affections did not turn in that direction!! That's just gross. Wearily, she allowed herself to plummet to a seat, sitting next to the lazy third member of her team, not being able to bring herself to face Sasuke in her current mood.

"You sure took your time." grunted the third member of Team 7, resting his cheek on one hand and glancing over.

"Mmhh.." Narue grunted in response, unable to make a response. Sasuke glanced curiously over to the girl. Sure he was still mad as hell, but that didn't stop him from wondering what the hell happened to her to get her so shaken. Not like he cared. No, not at all.

* * *

Ah, what a carry on! Now that Team 7 has been assembled, all that's left to do is await their sensei to show his sorry face. However long it will take, Narue, Sasuke and the third member of their team will be patient and await them like good little Genin... Hey? What're you doing with that board eraser? Narue!!

More on that, _**next time on Kitsune no Shoujo!**_

* * *

**EDITED: **_16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	5. Ep 4: Ulterior Motives!

**Episode 4: Ulterior Motives...**

_**Last time on Kitsune no Shoujo**_, Narue was paired up with the two guys she'd be spending the rest of her kunoichi training alongside. Unfortunately she was stuck with this year's number one asshole, Uchiha Sasuke, and this year's number one slacker, Nara Shikamaru. In the hour before they were to meet their sensei, so much happened. Confronting and tieing up Sasuke, posing as said person, and kissed by the last person she wanted to be kissed by, and now, things are about to get a whole lot more complicated.

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

The silence was apparent. The quiet taking place within the classroom of this years' graduating class was so pure that if you were to drop a pin on the floor there would be an echo. Sitting there, waiting (not so patiently), were the only remaining new shinobi team, Team 7, consisting of the normally loud and cheerful prankster, Uzumaki Narue, the introverted, self-concerned Uchiha Sasuke, and the lazy, un-motivated Nara Shikamaru. Narue slumped over her desk, looking bored out of her skull. Sasuke also seemed to be bored, but was better at hiding his impatience than Narue. Shikamaru was the only one who wasn't actually bored. He could find the interest in the most trivial thing. Looking at clouds. He had claimed a seat next to the window and watched the white waves roll by, not caring about what was going around him.

Finally, Narue snapped. Boredom sucks!

She got up from her seat, and marched down towards Iruka's drawers, picking the lock and beginning to go through it. If Sasuke or Shikamaru cared if Narue got into trouble or not, they'd have stopped her, but unfortunately, they cared not. Narue came out from the drawer with a triumphant grin, holding up a board eraser. And with it, she grabbed a nearby stool and headed towards the door.

Sasuke glanced towards her momentarily.. What was that girl doing? Not like he was going to ask. He had an un-caring reputation to keep up. Luckily, Shikamaru was mildly interested,

"Oi. What're you doing, Narue? Not another troublesome prank..." he grunted. Narue propped the stool by the door and climbed up onto it, then looking over her shoulder,

"It's what they deserve for being late!" Narue told him, and chuckled, turning back to the door and sliding it open slightly. Shikamaru watched with a frown as the girl propped the board eraser in between the door, and laughed again, leaping off her stool. Shikamaru sighed,

"_And I'm stuck with her from now on? What a drag!_" he thought. Sasuke snorted,

"It'll never work. Our instructor will be a Jounin. He's to clever to fall for one of your mediocre tricks." he said, glancing at Narue again. Narue glanced at him, snorted angrilly, and turned away from him,

"_What on earth does Sakura see in him? Honestly!_" she thought to herself. Suddenly footsteps came from the hallways, bringing sound to the previously quiet academy, and getting closer by the second. Narue cheered up, and watched the doorway, bubbling with anticipation and holding back her giggles. A hand appeared in between the opening in the door, and gently tugged it open.

* * *

"Okay so the way I see it, who cares if that blond bitch stole Sasuke-kun's first? I'll definately get the second!" Ino said, walking along with her two team-mates, her rival Sakura and the fat kid Shikamaru always hung out with. Ahead of them a little, was their sensei, who had yet to introduce himself to them. All Ino knew was that smoking was a terrible habit to have, and she'd definitely get Sakura to help her make him quit it.

Sakura chuckled to herself,

"You know, Ino? You're blond, too." she said, "_Not to mention, you'll never get Sasuke-kun's second, because I did. Heheh._" she thought to herself with a smirk, and Inner-Sakura cheered in agreement, "_**Hell yes! We're one step ahead of that Ino-Pig!**_"

Ino snorted in defiance, folding her arms,

"Yeah but not as blond as she is! Honestly, her hair's more of a bright yellow than blond! It's not normal I tell ya!" she voiced her opinions to Sakura, then noticed her smirk, "What're you so thrilled about? We're stuck with a guy who smokes as some kid who doesn't know the meaning of restraint!" she said, pointing to their sensei, who seemed like he didn't care either way, and then to Chouji, who frowned at her, and continued to eat his chips, knowing Shikamaru said it was best to ignore Ino no matter what.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, not looking at Ino,

"_But I dunno.. Something was off about kissing Sasuke-kun.._" she added as an afterthought, and Inner-Sakura nodded, frowning, "_**Yeah.. It wasn't all it was cracked up to be, that's for sure!**_"

Their dark-haired sensei stopped suddenly, and looked over his shoulder to them,

"Okay, we'll stop here and introduce each other. Take a seat." he said and the two girls and boy sat down by the Tea-stand, "I'll start first. My name's Sarutobi Asuma and I'll be your sensei. Just call me Asuma-sensei. Any questions?" he said, pointing to himself. Ino and Sakura looked to each other, and nodded, while Chouji just shrugged his shoulders. And so began the questioning.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Team 10 were being introduced to their sensei, as was Team 7. Upon being thoroughly unimpressed by Narue's prank, their Jounin sensei, Hatake Kakashi, had brought them to the roof for introductions.

"Alright then, we'll introduce one another. Just say your name, what you like, and in contrast, what you don't like. Also, any hobbies, and dreams for the future. Okay?" Kakashi asked, propping himself against the railings that barricaded the edge of the garden roof, with his arms folded neatly. Shikamaru tsked,

"What about you? We don't even know who you are." he questioned. Kakashi nodded,

"Aa.. Hatake Kakashi. I don't want to tell you what it is I like, or what I don't like for that matter. My dream for the future? Well, I have plenty of hobbies. Now, we'll start with you, since you were so quick to question me." Kakashi replied. Shikamaru put on a pained expression, then with a grunt he began,

"Nara Shikamaru. I like watching clouds, Shogi, and hanging out with my friend Chouji.. Don't like troublesome things.." he began.

"Care to elaborate on 'troublesome'?" Kakashi asked, his expression carefully blank, and yet some amusement sparkled in his black iris. He could see why Asuma had originally been interested in the Nara boy.

"No, I don't. I also don't like loud, overbearing women. My hobbies are strategic games, and watching clouds. As for my dream.. I don't ask for much. A normal career with little to no hitches, falling for a normal girl, have a couple of kids, then die peacefully as an old man. Like I said, I have no desire for a troublesome life." Shikamaru finished, looking to the sky.

Kakashi shook his head,

"It is rare that a shinobi's life is that easy. Anyway, moving on. Next, the girl." he said, pointing to Narue.

"I'm not just any 'girl'! Uzumaki Narue! I like Ramen, practical jokes and my friend Hinata-chan. I don't like clingy fan girl-type people, or bastards like Sasuke over there." she began and Sasuke shrugged, not caring, "My hobbies are pranks and practical jokes. And as for my dream..! I'm gonna be the first female Hokage! Hell yeah!!" Narue said excitedly. Kakashi nodded,

"Okay, okay, calm down. Finally, we'll have the other boy." Kakashi pointed to Sasuke. Sasuke nodded, his fingers laced across the front of his face, and his dark bangs hanging over the cool of his metal-plated forehead protector,

"Uchiha Sasuke. There's plenty of things I hate, but not a lot I like for that matter. I don't have the time for hobbies. And what I want to do, I wouldn't call a dream. Dreams rarely come true. I'd prefer to call it an ambition. I'm going to kill a certain someone, and then restore my clan." he replied. Narue shivered,

"_Jeez, what's this guy's problem?_" she thought, furrowing her eyebrows. Shikamaru tsked,

"_This is gonna be even more bothersome than I'd thought.. This guy.._" he thought, and looked away. Kakashi nodded,

"Okay then. I have some leaflets here, regarding your first assignment tomorrow." he said, bringing out some sheets of paper, and beginning on his way over to them. Narue gasped,

"Oh! What're we gonna be doing?" she asked excitedly.

"Huh? Oh, a survival test. Just the four of us." Kakashi replied. Shikamaru frowned,

"We already did too much of that in the academy. It's a waste of time." he said as he was given a leaflet.

"Ah but this isn't the same as the academy. This time, you're facing me, not each other." Kakashi wagged a finger at him, to which Shikamaru sighed tiredly. Kakashi began laughing softly to himself, causing Shikamaru to raise his eyebrows at the man.

"What's so funny, huh?" Narue asked, looking up from trying to decipher the strange ninja lingo on the paper in her hands. Kakashi chuckled a little louder,

"Well, if I told you, you'd surely freak out. See, the genin exams you guys just passed? That's only to weed out those who're hopeless. This survival test is the real deal, that says whether you become a real genin or not. Only 9 of your graduating class can pass. Also, with this survival test, there's a 60 rate of failure." he explained to them all. Shikamaru frowned his biggest frown,

"_Oh jeez, and I thought Narue or Sasuke were going to be a drag. Why'd we get such a sadistic jounin as a sensei? I don't like this.._" he thought, narrowing his eyes. Narue's mouth hung agape,

"_Man, and after all I went through to get here? This sucks!_" she thought, and then she growled, "That sucks! You big jerk, after all the trouble we went through to graduate you say it was for nothing?!" she cried.

"I gotta admit, that's pretty low, _sensei_." Shikamaru nodded. Kakashi shrugged,

"I am what I am. Okay, we'll meet tomorrow at 6, outside training grounds 32 for your final exam. Bring all the weapons you can and if you want a word of advice, I'd say skip breakfast. Unless you enjoy throwing up, that is. Ja!" he said, disappearing into a cloud of smoke, leaving the three almost-genin to think things through.

Shikamaru tsked,

"He leaves, just like that. Jeez, what if we had questions?" he said out-loud, folding up his leaflet and putting it in his pocket. He got up, and began to stretch his back with a yawn. Sasuke crumpled his leaflet into a ball, seeing it ridiculous, and stood up, hands in pockets,

"A real shinobi doesn't need to ask questions. They already know. Sometimes I wonder how you passed his exam, Nara." he said, glancing to the only other male team-mate he had. Shikamaru frowned,

"You're a real troublesome guy, you know that?" he asked Sasuke, "I'm heading home." he said, turning away and beginning towards the exit, "Later, Narue." he grunted to Narue, who nodded, holding the leaflet tight in her hands. She was nervous. But there was no way in hell she'd let that stop her. She'd already come so far, and Iruka believed in her! So she'd believe in herself as well! She'd show the Cyclops Jounin a thing or two...

Once Shikamaru was gone, Sasuke turned to Narue with a frown,

"Oi. Don't think I forgot about what you did to me. You won't get away with it." he said to her. Narue stuck her tongue out at him and pulled down on the skin under her eye,

"Nyeeh! You're just mad 'cause I caught you off guard, teme!" she said. Sasuke snorted,

"Whatever." he said, walking away from the girl. Narue folded her arms, and chuckled to herself. Narue: 1, Sasuke: 0!

* * *

The sun sat low in the sky but slowly escalated to the heights of the dull morning skies. In training ground 32, within the inner circle of lush forestry that mapped the land, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Narue headed towards each other, pretending not to notice on another. Narue with her eyes on her feet, a frown on her face, and Sasuke looking uninterestedly over his left shoulder. They joined at the centre, and Narue quickly lowered herself to sit on the ground indian-style. Sasuke looked down on her mockingly and she crankily replied,

"If yesterday was any indicator, our sensei's going to be super late." she said, and Sasuke quickly looked away.

"Hn." he muttered. And with that lack-lustre input, silence engulfed the area. The only signs of life where the birds that had just arisen from their nests to collect food for their chicks, and the faint rustling of the trees. It had been at least three hours, and there was no sign of their sensei, as Narue predicted. The curious thing was, that Shikamaru hadn't shown up either. Narue was about to complain, when Kakashi appeared near them in a puff of smoke, a half-asleep, cranky looking Shikamaru rubbing the back of his head with a frown.

"Sorry I'm late, Narue, Sasuke. As you can see, I had to collect our team-mate from his bedroom." Kakashi said, then leant over to Shikamaru, "Unpunctuality is a terrible habit for a shinobi." he told him.

"You're one to talk." Shikamaru quipped and Kakashi cleared his throat nervously.

"Anyway, now that we're all here," Kakashi said pointedly to Shikamaru and his team-mates, and Shikamaru tsked, "We can begin with the survival test. I'm sure you remembered what's at stake, from my speech yesterday. And I also hoped you took my advice, and didn't eat breakfast." he said with a one-eyed smile.

"Yeah, yeah! So how does it go again? I mean, what're we supposed to do?" asked Narue.

"I'm glad you asked." Kakashi took out a timer-clock from his backpack, along with something else, which made a jingling noise as he took it, "This timer's set for 'noon. You have untill then, to get one of these from me." he said, starting the timer, and holding up two bells on red strings. Everyone watched him, wondering what he was getting at.

"_There's obviously an ulterior motive to this.. but what?_" Shikamaru thought, frowning. Did that frown ever actually leave his face? Narue didn't think so, but she wasn't about to question Shikamaru about such a trivial thing when she could be kicking their sensei's ass.

"If you can't steal one of the bells from me before the timer's up, then you'll be tied to one of those stumps," he pointed to the stumps which none of them had noticed until now, "And I'll eat your dinner in front of you." he added. Everyone face faulted.

"_Troublesome.. So that's why he told us to skip breakfast!_" Shikamaru thought

"Not only that," Kakashi began, "But if you fail to steal a bell, you'll fail the test, obviously. If that happens, you'll be sent back to the academy for further education." he told them, and Narue gulped. Shikamaru seemed a bit annoyed, too. Kakashi continued, "So I'm gonna be fair. You can use any weapon you brought against me. Especially the lethal ones. I actually encourage it." Kakashi said.

"What?! Are you crazy? If we were to hit you at a vital spot by accident, you could be hurt, or even die. I think you're bluffing." Shikamaru said, "_Or does he actually have something else in mind?_" he thought.

Narue laughed, "I agree with lazy-ass! Dude, you couldn't even dodge that eraser. What makes you think you can--" she began.

"Let's just ignore the blond idiot and begin the test on my signal." Kakashi interrupted.

"_What!? Why you!!_" Narue snapped mentally, and grabbed a kunai from her pouch quickly, and began charging towards their sensei.

Shikamaru's eyes widened, "What the--?" he cut himself off, "_That idiot, what does she think she's doing?_" he thought. Suddenly, Kakashi was behind Narue, twisting her kunai-holding hand back to point the blade to the back of her neck and her other hand restrained.

"Your form was off, but you struck to kill. I think I'm starting to like you guys." Kakashi said, his one-eyed smile reassuring them. Narue nervously laughed, her eyes darting from the ground to over her shoulder now and then, trying to get a better look. Sasuke nodded, and Shikamaru sighed out with relief. Kakashi let go of Narue, stepped back a bit, and continued, "Okay... Now, GO!!" he said and everybody dashed away from their positions to hide in the leafy foliage surrounding them. Kakashi looked around, "_Well they've got hiding down.._" he thought with a nod, then he turned to see Narue once again before him. He face faulted, "_Or not.._" he thought.

"Oi, sensei, let's do this! One on one! Me, future Hokage, versus you, Cyclops Jounin!" Narue challenged him. Kakashi blinked,

"_Cyclops? Is that supposed to be a nickname.._" he thought, then sighed, "You know, compared to your team-mates, you're a bit strange." he mentioned to the girl. Narue snorted,

"The only thing strange here is your hair-do, Cyclops!" Narue said, dashing towards the Jounin. Kakashi sighed, and took out a book from his pocket. At this, Narue tripped over in shock.

"Huh? What's up? Why'd you just stop running?" Kakashi asked innocently. Narue pulled herself up, and immediately pointed at the small orange book in his hand,

"That!! Why the hell are you reading at a time like this?!" she protested to his under-judgement, "_Haven't I seen that book in the old man's house?_" she thought to herself (a/n; when Narue says 'old man' she refers to the Third Hokage). Kakashi turned a page in his book,

"To find out what happens. Duh!" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Go ahead and attack me. With your lack of skills, I'll still win." Kakashi added. In the foliage where Shikamaru sat with his back propped up against a tree-trunk looking over his shoulder to see, the lazy Nara rolled his eyes,

"_Obviously. But why would he underestimate Narue's skills that much? I mean, she got poor grades, but mine were worse than hers in written tests.._" he thought, and narrowed his eyes.

"First ninja skill. Taijutsu." Kakashi mentioned, as Narue ran towards him, angrily screaming a battle-cry. With a fist pulled back, she struck at her sensei with a fist full of fury, only to be blocked by the uninterested looking Kakashi. She recovered quickly and tried a sweeping kick, only to have Kakashi jump over it as if it were a skipping rope. With a last-ditch effort, Narue threw another punch, only to miss this time. Kakashi reappeared behind Narue, crouching down with his fingers in the tiger hand seal. Elsewhere in the foliage, Sasuke widened his eyes,

"_The Tiger hand seal.. A fire jutsu?_" he thought. Shikamaru cursed quietly,

"_But that'll demolish Narue..!_" he thought.

"Konoha's most secret and most sacred technique! A thousand years of pain!!" Kakashi said, thrusting his fingers forward. And with that, Narue lept to the air, cursing several times, before plummeting into the water. Shikamaru rolled his eyes,

"_What an immature technique. How old is this guy..?_" he thought, he shook his head, "_On second thought, never mind. I don't want to know._" he added as an after-thought as Kakashi quickly gathered himself, and continued to read. Shikamaru sighed, and pulled himself up. With that, he began a leisurely stroll through the forest. Kakashi's eye lazily swept over to the bushes where he knew Shikamaru had been hiding.

"_He thinks this is a game. I'll play with him after I'm done with Narue._" he nodded to himself, then watched as Narue washed ashore, looking pretty exhausted, "What, you're tired already? There's a bell waiting here for you." Kakashi said in a taunting tone.

Narue growled, "Shut the hell up, I'm not finished yet!" she spat. Kakashi nodded,

"Sure... Times running out you know? Narue, I'll be fair. I'll give you a clue.." he began.

"A clue?" Narue asked, panting.

"That's right. To pass this test, you need to look underneath the underneath." Kakashi nodded again.

Narue gaped at him, and not understanding, she decided to take her frustrations out on her sensei,

"Oh yeah, how's this for underneath the underneath?!" Narue asked, and with that, 7 Narue's jumped out of the water, ready to attack. Kakashi watched them descend upon him, with a lazy eye.

In the foliage, Sasuke blinked, trying to comprehend what was happening,

"_Seven -solid- clones?! This isn't the same Narue from the academy, is it? The same dead-last idiot?_" he looked on in intrigue, and gasped as Narue managed to grab Kakashi from behind, "_What the.. Maybe I've been underestimating her?_" he wondered.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shikamaru strolled through the woods within the training grounds, a bored look on his face. He let himself yawn, patting his lips with a hand, as he looked over his shoulder to the left, when he heard the sound of Narue crying in dismay, followed by a series of battle cries and grunts of pain.

"_Kakashi's got her wrapped around his little finger. Sasuke'll get bored soon and begin to cover more ground, probably. I'll catch him then. Even though he might not listen to what I have to say! He's such a drag.._" he thought to himself, and took a seat next to a tree, taking his free-time to look at the clouds. He heard a twig snap and turned to see, only to find Kakashi nearby, putting some boxes on top of a stone tablet. Wait, wasn't Narue fighting him? It was over already? Or perhaps she'd never been fighting him at all? Either way, since it didn't seem like Kakashi had spotted him yet, Shikamaru quietly snuck closer.

"I've got a new squad again, Obito.." Kakashi began and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"_Eh? Obito? That's the memorial stone my dad took me to see his little sister's name on, once. Perhaps this Obito was a friend of sensei's?_" Shikamaru thought.

"There's this girl, Narue. She's a lot like you, minus the late thing. That's one of the boys on my team, Shikamaru. He's probably even worse at being punctual than you." Kakashi continued talking to the tablet and Shikamaru frowned at the less-than-compliment he got, "But then again, I think it's probably just that he lacks motivation. As for the other boy on my team, he's a little like I used to be. He's an Uchiha, too, just like you." he added. Shikamaru raised his both eyebrows,

"_So this friend of his was an Uchiha? Perhaps he was wiped out with the rest of them, four years ago? I didn't hear much details about that, though, so.._" he thought. Kakashi chuckled,

"If they don't figure out why there's only two bells, soon, I'm going to have to fail them like the rest." he told the tablet. Shikamaru began to ponder what the meaning of two bells only could mean.. Two bells, with three people going after one each. Obviously one was going to lose out and get stuck to a pole anyway. Two bells.. Three people... Pitting one against each other..

"_That's it!_" Shikamaru realised, and slowly made his way up, hiding behind the tree still. He slowly snuck away again. What he didn't know, was as soon as he got far enough, Kakashi looked over in his direction, and chuckled. How long was the Nara going to put off fighting him? Perhaps it was best to leave the kid be, while he thinks up a strategy.

Shikamaru quietly dashed through the forest, trying to locate Sasuke's chakra signal. It was easy to tell it apart from Narue's. Sasuke's chakra signal was focused and fire-based, due to Uchiha techniques, Shikamaru supposed. Narue's however, was distinctively lesser, yet out of whack and all over the place. Not only that but it seemed different from normal chakra. Shikamaru didn't want to delve into that, because the results were sure to give him a headache.

He finally sensed the chakra signal, and went off in that direction, only to find Kakashi and Sasuke already facing each other off. Poker-faces applied, time seemed to stand still, as the wind caused Sasuke's dark bangs to sway from side to side gently, as Kakashi's only moved slightly. And then, all in a flash, Sasuke released a barrage of shuriken straight at Kakashi, who jumped out of the way and skidded off to the side. Shikamaru watched in half-amazement and half-jealousy. He'd always wished he had some of the skills Sasuke did, but then again, he always thought about it later on, and realised that having skills like Sasuke's would only gain unwanted, troublesome attention. So Shikamaru preferred being the lazy-ass with little to no special skills outside his strategies and his family jutsu.

Sasuke through another weapon, this time a kunai, of which Kakashi dodged again, skidding off further, only to realise the kunai was to trigger a trap and jumping out of the way once again as a barrage of kunai, shuriken and other pointy objects pelted a tree-trunk instead. Seeing that his weapons, however accurately thrown, weren't getting anywhere, Sasuke went in to attack with his clan's famous Uchiha taijutsu.

* * *

Elsewhere, Narue pulled her shirt down, which technically was pulling up, as to stop her rather large(for a twelve-year-old) chest from being flashed to the world. Not like people hadn't seen her stuff thanks to her Erochikku Paradaisu jutsu. But that wasn't the point. Narue flushed pink, as the blood rushed to head. Eventually, she started feeling a bit dizzy.

"Argh, I can't believe I fell for that! What the hell does he mean by underneath the underneath anyway?! So annoying!" Narue complained, "_Okay quit complaining, Narue. There's no way he'd set another trap under the second one, right?_" she thought, then gasped, "_I've got it!_" she added. She took a kunai from her pouch, and positioned it carefully. With that, she began to swing back and forth, pushing harder and harder each time.

On her fifth swing, she spotted a few boxes on top of a strange stone tablet, and grinned,

"Score!!" she said, cutting the ropes and slamming her feet into the tree trunk, quickly pushing herself off the bark and springing forward, away from any other traps that may set under the tree, and did a few forward flips before landing on the ground like a cat, "_Oh yeah. I rule!_" she giggled to herself, and straightened her shirt up, before running towards where she'd seen the lunch boxes.

Back with the observations of Shikamaru, he was amazed. Sasuke had come so close to getting that bell, and if it weren't for Kakashi's keen senses, he would have. Jeez, he didn't even have the nerve to face him when he was distracted by the memorial earlier. Not that he wanted to fight, though.

Sasuke smirked, and began performing a dozen handseals with efficient speed. Shikamaru watched as Sasuke finished the last few seals, and brought his hand to his mouth, breathing in deeply.

"Katon! Goukakkyu no jutsu!!" Sasuke cried, and blew out hard, sending flames erupting from his mouth. Shikamaru let his mouth hang slack, and he was pretty sure if he could see Kakashi's face, he'd be gaping too. The flames engulfed their sensei.

"_Idiot! That could kill sensei!_" Shikamaru mentally gasped.

* * *

Oh noes! With Kakashi supposedly dealt with by the red-hot moves of Sasuke, however will this shape out. And as for Narue, what exactly does she have planned with those lunch boxes. And what exactly was Kakashi's true plan for this survival exercise? _**Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!**_

* * *

**EDITED: **_16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	6. Ep 5: Strategies and Sacrifices!

_**Episode 5: Strategies and Sacrifices...**_

_**Last time, on Kitsune no Shoujo**_, the newly assembled Team 7 were introduced to their mysterious sensei, Hatake Kakashi, who announced that before they could be official Genin, they would have to partake in a survival exam which put their skills to the test. But due to Shikamaru's observations, perhaps there had been a hidden meaning that Narue and Sasuke missed. Will Shikamaru's plan help them to pass Kakashi-sensei's test?

**Disclaimer** Don't own Naruto.

* * *

Shikamaru frowned as the flames died down, seeing that nobody was in it's wake. His father had said it was stupid to jump to conclusions and despite that he'd still thought for sure, that Sasuke had actually killed their sensei. He slowly got up and hid behind a tree, waiting to see if anything else would happen, then smirked, as a hand came from the ground and grabbed Sasuke's ankle, pulling him under. It serves the guy right. He needed to be taken down a few pegs. Shikamaru decided he'd come back for him later, after getting Narue.

With that he dashed off quietly, looking about for the first sight of that horrific orange jacket she always wore.

Kakashi looked over from explaining to Sasuke, an interested twinkle in his eye, and then he got up, "That jutsu was impressive, for your age and ranking.. But oh well. I guess it wasn't enough. Ja!" Kakashi said, disappearing from his spot.

Sasuke snorted into the dust, "Damn it." he muttered, glaring at the ground.

* * *

With Narue, she had arrived at the stone tablet, and eyed up the lunch boxes. Oh yeah, definitely food. And it smelled pretty good, too.

She rubbed her hands together with a chuckle, "Underneath the underneath, ha! I see, now! Itadaki- huh?" she cut herself off as a hand came in front of her view, she turned to see a lightly panting Shikamaru frowning at her, "What the? Shikamaru, what gives?" she asked him.

Shikamaru shook his head, "You idiot, it's not good to cheat. Shouldn't you be trying to get a bell instead?" he asked her in response.

Narue folded her arms, "I've tried everything! What am I supposed to do!" she retorted.

Shikamaru sighed, and grabbed one of her arms, "I have a plan, but we don't have much time. Follow me, we need to find Sasuke." he said, beginning to pull her away from the memorial tablet.

Narue gasped, lagging behind, "What! I am _not_ working with that teme!" Narue protested, pulling away slightly.

"Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. Do you think I wanted to do this stupid survival test, in the first place? Stop complaining." Shikamaru continued to pull her along.

"I don't remember you doing _anything_ yet! Where we you? Off sleeping in the bushes?" Narue asked.

"I wish." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Look, haven't you ever stopped to consider why Kakashi-sensei only had two bells? It was to pit us against each other. You and Sasuke have both made equal attempts and you both failed. A Jounin isn't going to be taken down single handedly. It just doesn't work that way!" Shikamaru said.

Narue laughed out loud, "So even Sasuke got his butt kicked! Awesome!" she said.

Shikamaru nodded, smirking slightly to himself, "Can I trust you to follow me without me having to pull you?" he asked her, and she nodded, "Then let's pick up the pace." he said, letting go of her and moving into a dashing sprint through the forest, Narue close on his heels.

* * *

Soon, they arrived at the scene of Sasuke's –_erhem_- burial. Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets, and looked down on the glaring Uchiha, while he himself looked a little bored.

Narue was looking around for Sasuke, "Why'd we stop here? I can't see Sasuke-teme anywhere." Narue said and Shikamaru sighed.

"Dobe, look down." Sasuke grunted. Narue looked down as she was told to, and widened her eyes at the sight.

And then, she laughed, "Haha, loser, what happened to you? Did Kakashi-sensei ground you? Where you a naughty boy?" she asked, thinking her pun hilarious. Sasuke grumbled under his breath, avoiding eye contact. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and knelt down in front of Sasuke's head.

"Listen up, if we even hope to get one of those bells, we're going to have to work together." he told the Uchiha.

"Me, work with her?" Sasuke snorted, "No thanks." he muttered.

Narue was about to retort when Shikamaru raised a hand to silence her, and continued speaking, "Look you made a decent attempt and I know you came close to getting a bell. But one Genin against a Jounin isn't fair play. Can't you see that? I've checked this guy out, and I think what he wants is for us to combine our efforts." Shikamaru told both Sasuke and Narue.

"What effort exactly have you made?" Sasuke asked with a frown.

Shikamaru frowned back at him, "You actually think I'd waste my time going up against him blindly? I've been observing, you jackass, and like I said, I've come up with a strategy. We've got very little time left, so are you going to comply, or are we failing this survival test?" he asked him. Sasuke grumbled under his breath once more, and then muttered something else. Shikamaru creased his brow in irritation, "I'm sorry, could you speak a little louder?" he inquired.

Sasuke glared at him, "I said 'fine, now dig me out." he said louder.

Shikamaru smirked, and nodded, "Narue, help out. It'll take less time, if we do this together." he said, gesturing Narue forward.

She begrudgingly complied, "The teme better thank me for this." she said.

"Yeah, yeah, just get digging." Shikamaru said, beginning to pull back the fissured ground around Sasuke's neck. Narue did it more recklessly, digging up the ground like a dog, causing Sasuke to hiss at him about getting dirt in his hair and eyes. It's not like Narue listened to him, though.

* * *

Around 4 minutes later, in the clearing they had first been, Kakashi stood in the very middle, reading his book once more. He looked to the sky, to try and guess the time, then turned his eye over to the timer on top of the stump nearby. Three minutes left. Kakashi sighed. He didn't really know what he had been expecting, or hoping for, rather, from a group containing the number one rookie this year, a loud, obnoxious trickster, and a kid with no motivation whatsoever. The only impressive one had been Sasuke, and he still had yet to realise the point to this task.

Kakashi turned his eye to the sound of rustling from the bushes, and prepared himself for whatever may come. And with that, despite they knew their ambush had gone wrong, Narue, Sasuke and Shikamaru all jumped out to attack their sensei head-on, taijutsu style by the look of it. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Even Shikamaru? Something was up.

Kakashi effectively blocked each of their attacks, twisting and turning to knock their attacks away like they were nothing. As Sasuke went low to perform a sweeping kick, Kakashi jumped into the air and kicked Narue in the stomach, sending her hurtling back, to which she recovered quickly, and made her way towards him again.

Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's leg as it came at him, and blocked another half-assed punch from Shikamaru, and threw them both back. The two stumbled, and Kakashi turned to Sasuke as he came in with a series of kicks and punches, which Kakashi naturally blocked like a professional. Kakashi chuckled, amused, as Shikamaru got up, and began on his way towards the fight again, turning to elbow Narue in the side as she came with a flying kick, causing her to fall back and curl into a ball at the pain. Once again, Shikamaru was blocked.

Kakashi would hand it to the kid, if it was the real Shikamaru. Kakashi swung a punch into Shikamaru's gut, and he disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"Shikamaru was a fake. But Narue's definitely real. I have a feeling Sasuke is real too. So where's your team-mate?" Kakashi asked, then smirked underneath his mask, as he felt his body freeze in the spot.

"I'm right here.." Shikamaru said, off to the side, holding his hands in the seal unique to his clan.

"Impressive strategy. That's the Nara clan jutsu, correct?" Kakashi asked, only to hear the jingling of bells and glance to Sasuke and Narue, to see them both holding a bell each.

Kakashi looked back at Shikamaru, as the Nara nodded, "Un. I knew I had little to no chance trying to capture you with my Kagemane, you're too smart to just stand around and wait for my shadow to capture yours.. So the best course of action was to have you be completely distracted, to which Sasuke and Narue served their purpose. With you captured in my Kagemane, it was easy for them to take a bell." he explained.

"That's true. But _you_ don't have a bell." Kakashi agreed.

Narue gasped, "He's right! Shikamaru, you knew this'd happen didn't you! You knew you'd fail?" she asked him. Shikamaru shrugged slightly, and rubbed the back of his neck, to which Sasuke was amused to see Kakashi mimicking due to the jutsu's effects.

"It's no big deal, Narue.. It's not as if I need to become a ninja right now. I only tried for it because I didn't like the lifestyle that would come if I didn't become a ninja. It'll be troublesome to go back to the academy, but I can deal with it. You guys have things to accomplish as ninjas, whereas it doesn't really matter if I'm held back another year." Shikamaru explained.

"B-But..! Damn it, this was your plan! Why'd you make a plan where you lose?" Narue asked.

Shikamaru sighed, "Just because, Narue. Don't make me explain again." he said tiredly.

"Hey, are you going to let me out, or do I need to break the jutsu myself?" Kakashi asked and everyone turned to him. He stared back at them blankly.

Shikamaru tsked, and undid the jutsu, his shadow shrinking back underneath him, "Good luck with your shinobi careers, or whatever. Sasuke. Narue." he nodded to the two. Sasuke nodded wordlessly, while Narue emotionally choked a 'sure'.

Kakashi dusted off some imaginary dust, and watched as Shikamaru was about to leave, "Where do you think you're going?" he asked the boy, who stopped in the middle of a step, and looked over his shoulder to him with a groan, "Mind explaining your findings from your 'observations'?" he said with a smile.

Shikamaru sighed, and turned back to them, hands in pockets, "Fine. Kakashi set up the test with two bells for three genin to go after. One each to get, but that doesn't quite add up, since he was lacking one bell. So, inevitably, one genin would fail, be tied to the tree stump, and be sent back to the academy. Obviously, this pitted the three of us against each other. But that's just scratching the surface. If you deep digger underneath, you realise that this test is trying to see if you'd sacrifice yourself for the good of your team-mate. Thus, this test was to see if we had teamwork skills. Which is why my plan involved us working together in order to get the bells." Shikamaru explained with a bored look on his face.

Narue gaped, Sasuke frowned, and Kakashi smiled.

Shikamaru sighed, "Let me guess.. I get tied to the tree stump..? How troublesome." he inquired.

Kakashi shook his head, "No. That'd be Narue-chan, here, since she was going to try cheating, and eat earlier." he said, pointing to the blond girl next to him.

Narue gasped, "WHAT?" she cried in disbelief, as Sasuke quietly sent her a glare.

Shikamaru sighed, relieved that he didn't have to go through the humiliation of getting tied to the stump. And so, he calmly joined the three to eat dinner. Well, joined Sasuke and Kakashi to eat dinner. Narue was exempt, for cheating, until Sasuke abruptly decided he wasn't hungry, and placed his food at Narue's feet, expecting her to be able to eat it that way. Shikamaru groaned, and disdainfully fed her himself.

"You're such a troublesome girl you know that?" he asked, poking some rice in through her mouth with his chopsticks.

Narue giggled, and swallowed the rice, "Yeah, yeah, lazy-ass." she nodded, and looked to Kakashi, who was reading his book once again, "Ne, sensei, so did we pass or what? You didn't say anything about it." she asked the silver-haired jounin.

Kakashi glanced at her, and nodded, "Aa.. I guess I didn't say anything. Yes, you all pass." he agreed.

"YATTA NE! I DID IT!" Narue screamed, causing Shikamaru to wobble from his position.

"Hey! Stop squirming and shouting in my ear!" Shikamaru gasped, seeming more than just annoyed, "And you got rice all over my face. Do you even know how disgusting it is to have someone's spit all over their face?" he added, growling and rubbing the spittle off with a tissue.

Narue laughed, and turned to Kakashi once more, "And..! And..! Shikamaru, too?" Narue asked him.

Kakashi glanced at her, as Shikamaru sighed, "Jeez, didn't you hear what I said earlier? I said I don't need--" he began.

"Actually, Shikamaru also passes. If you work at it, Shikamaru, you'll become a note-worthy shinobi in the future. We'll mostly need to work on that motivation of yours." Kakashi said.

"WHOO! Hear that, Shikamaru? You pass! We all pass!" Narue cheered.

"Shut up, you're annoying me!" Sasuke retorted, hands over his ears and glaring at her.

Narue frowned at him, snorting, "Like I care!" she replied. Sasuke snorted, and turned away, his bangs covering his eyes.

Narue giggled, squirming in her bindings, "WOOHOO! I'm finally a kunoichi! This is great! Hell yeah!" she cheered, as Shikamaru cleaned out his ear with his little finger, grumbling under his breath, but despite that, he was grinning slightly to himself.

Kakashi smiled, and got up, dramatically giving them a thumbs up, "Congratulations, you three. As of tomorrow we'll be starting our very first ninja missions!" Kakashi announced. While Narue let out yet another excited whoop, Shikamaru tsked, holding his head in his hand.

He looked up at their sensei with a tired look, "Jeez, was the pose really necessary..?" he asked. Kakashi laughed and rubbed the back of his head,

"Probably not. I must've been spending too much time with a friend of mine..." he murmured, "_Damn Maito Gai.. I'll get you later.._" he thought.

* * *

_It felt like she was flying. Narue stood with her arms out to her side, letting the wind blow harshly against her, causing her blond bangs to flap all over the place. She winced her eyes tighter, then brought an arm to shield her eyes, opening her blue eyes gingerly. She gasped, shocked to see a gigantic orange fox pouncing from one position to the other, smashing trees and batting all nine of its tails around furiously, which was causing this terrible wind. Narue watched in horror as the demon she knew had to be the Kyuubi rained it's destruction on Konoha. But how was the demon there, when it was supposed to be... _

_Narue brushed her fingers across her trim stomach beneath her jacket._

_"Kami-sama.." muttered a voice strangled by emotions beside Narue, causing her to quickly turn to it. Narue's eyes widened at the man she saw standing beside her. His thick sunshine blond spikes that nearly obscured his forehead protector from sight, and his body cloaked in the famous white trench-coat patterned with roaring red flames at the trims. The Yondaime Hokage! But why was he here!? Was this some sort of dream? How did she even know what the Hokage looked like? Those Hokage likenesses really left much to the imagination with their watered down products of the real people._

_Narue noticed that in the arms of the Hokage was a small bundle wrapped in a white sheet. She also noticed something else. Tears streaked down the cheeks of the Yondaime, from his shimmering cerulean eyes. _

_Narue watched as the blond Hokage continued to speak, eager to hear what he had to say._

_"Please, I'm begging you... Forgive me, Kushina.." he muttered, wincing his eyes closed momentarily. Narue blinked, and wondered who this Kushina person was.. "Sarutobi-sama.. and Kakashi.." he added and Narue wondered how the Hokage knew Kakashi. But then again, the Hokage was supposed to know everyone, so whatever._

_"Oi, Minato-kun.. Why did you summon me..?" asked a large booming voice from below them and Narue nearly yelled. She looked down below her and now realised why she felt so high up. She was on some sort of big... She crawled across to the edge to see what they were on, and she nearly choked. A giant toad! With a pipe in its mouth! What the hell!_

_"I'm sorry, Gamabunta-sama, but I need you to help me distract that beast while I prepare _that_ jutsu." said the Yondaime, his teeth clenched in determination, his eyes glaring heatedly at the beast up ahead that had already killed hundreds of his precious people. _

_The toad named Gamabunta grunted, __"I see.. I cannot believe it has come to this.. Very we-- What is that in your hand, Minato-kun?" he asked, noticing the tiny chakra source in the Hokage's arm. _

_The Hokage grinned slightly, __"It's my most precious person.. She's going to be a hero after all of this.. I didn't even name her yet.. heheh.. Not much of a--" he began to murmur, his eyes warm and affectionate as he gazed down at the baby before him, who had yet to be able to open her eyes. Narue raised an eyebrow, listening keenly, but the giant toad boss interrupted._

_"I'll distract him for a few seconds at most so make do with that. It will be difficult. I am sad that this is how we part ways. You were a good contractee. I'll never forget the battles we fought together." Gamabunta said, a sentimental quirk to his booming voice._

_"Right. Me neither. Let's do this, Gamabunta-sama." the Hokage nodded. Narue watched in horror. She may have slept through a majority of her shinobi history classes, but she knew exactly what the Hokage and this giant toad intended to do.. Seal the Kyuubi._

_"_Seal it in me.._" she thought, watching anxiously. _

_The Hokage smiled a sad smile down on the baby in his hands, who's cerulean orbs were opening slightly to see him, __"I hope that the villages will see you as I do. As a hero.." he muttered sadly, and prepared to perform the jutsu that would take his life. _

_Narue widened her eyes in horror,__"No.." she muttered, "NO!" she yelled louder, as the Hokage put his hands together in the hand seal, and a bright light erupted from where he stood. Narue shielded her eyes, shocked by the sudden light, and when she tried to steal another peek, there was nothing but whiteness, and a stinging heat in her belly. Narue cringed, and yelled out in pain._

* * *

Narue screamed, reaching out in front of her to grasp thin air as she shot up into a sitting position, only to fall back again clutching her belly. She hissed, and waited for the stinging to die down, which it did quickly. She slowly pried an eye open, to see her white, cracked ceiling above her and the early-morning commencing outside. She let out a shuddering breath, and pulled herself up. Today was her first day of missions. She had to show she was enthusiastic, and show up on time, or even early, even if their sensei wouldn't.

Narue swung her two legs over the side of the bed and looked to her feet with a confused furrow of her brow. What exactly had that dream been about? And why was the Kyuubi, Yondaime, and a gigantic toad been there? Why did she see things that had happened on the night of her birth? No matter how good anyone's memory was, they'd always forget their memories of the day of their birth, before they even turned 1 year old. Perhaps they even forgot, the day after they were born, but that was seriously not the point. She was wandering from her original thought.

Narue shook her head, and decided it was just that instant Ramen she had eaten for supper last night. It must've been off or something and that was why she was having whacked out dreams about the Kyuubi. Maybe the beast was messing with her? That was another option. But even so, Narue pushed it to the back of her mind and got on with her morning activities, a.k.a. Out-of-date-Instant-Ramen time!

* * *

Shikamaru turned to see Narue slowly making her way over to where he and Sasuke waited with a frown on his face.

As Narue joined them, she greeted them cheerily, "G'morning, lazy-ass! Sasuke-teme." Narue cast a sparing glance at the dark-haired boy nearby.

Shikamaru shook his head, "You know, I have a name. Spare us your lame nicknames." he said and Narue stuck her tongue out at him, "Anyway, did you have trouble sleeping or something?" he asked her.

Narue blinked, "Huh?" she asked, images from her dream resurfacing in her head, which she promptly shoved back to the farthest reaches of her mind once again, "N-No, not really.. why do you ask?" she asked nervously, waving her arms around frantically and laughing nervously.

"You're a little later than expected.. plus, you're starting to get bags under your eyes. I think I'll have them soon, if I don't move out of that house of mine. Damn overbearing woman who calls herself my mother always wakes me up hours earlier than necessary and calls it being 'enthusiastic'. Do I look enthusiastic to you? This is such a drag.." he muttered.

"Would you stop complaining? You've been doing it all morning. If this really bothers you it's your own fault for choosing to become a ninja, so whine to somebody else about it." Sasuke said.

Shikamaru looked at him, "I wasn't even talking to you..." he grunted.

"Hn." Sasuke barely even responded, and retreated into his thoughts.

Shikamaru slouched back against the bridge they were waiting for Kakashi at, an annoyed look on his face, "And thus begins the five-hour long waiting session, before that sensei of ours shows up." he said.

"He was only late last time, because _you_ slept in on purpose, lazy-ass." Narue said with a grin, poking him teasingly.

Shikamaru snorted out, and folded his arms, "When he gets here... Don't wake me up." Shikamaru said and Narue sighed.

"And so he leaves me with 'Mr. Sociable'.." Narue muttered sarcastically to herself, looking in the opposite direction to the Uchiha prodigy of her team.

* * *

And so, Narue, Sasuke and Shikamaru's journey begins on their way to Ninja-greatness! Now that they've passed Kakashi's final exam and earned (some of) his respect, they're all set for Ninja lifestyle! But what could that dream concerning the Yondaime Hokage possibly mean? What does it prophesise? _**Even the Narrator of this thrilling tale can't wait for the next chapter of Kitsune no Shoujo**_!

**

* * *

****EDITED**: _16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check, and information updated)


	7. Ep 6: The Bath House!

**Episode 6: Cleaning the Bath-House! A Parting Gift?**

_**Last time on Kitsune no Shoujo**_, Shikamaru managed to bring his two disagreeing team-mates, and together, they combined their efforts to claim the bells from Kakashi-sensei. Due to their teamwork, Kakashi happily passed Team 7. But that night, Narue had a strange dream, including the Yondaime and the Kyuubi, the dream causing a strange heated sensation in her seal. Whatever could this lead to?

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

It was a hot day in Konoha, and Team 7 had already assembled at the bridge to meet their sensei, at least four hours ago. Sasuke had been the first to arrive, gingerly followed by Shikamaru, and then a cheerful but suspicious Narue. When Narue had arrived, Shikamaru had questioned her about any sleeping troubles she may have had, but she had quickly shook him off. And so, Shikamaru had easily given up and took to napping until their sensei showed up. Which would be right about-

"Yo!" - Now.

Narue promptly turned to the man perching on top of the red beams of wood that overshadowed the bridge, pointing accusingly at the silver-haired Jounin,

"YOU'RE LATE!!" she screeched at him, furious for having been kept waiting. This rather loud accusation had woken Shikamaru up from his light nap, and he sorely rubbed his ears, frowning at Narue.

Kakashi smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "Yeah, well a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take a different route." he replied with a laugh.

Shikamaru shook his head,

"That's a lie and you know it is." he said pointedly. Kakashi shook his head, and leapt down from his spot,

"Anyway, let's go get today's mission." he said, and jerked his head towards the Ninja academy, where they would receive their mission. The three genin followed him as he guided them towards the assignment room. As they walked away, a tall man, with long white hair stepped out from behind a tree, watching them leave interestedly with his sharp, dark eyes. He was wearing a red jacket along with a green under-vest and trousers, along with sandals with chunks of wood beneath them to increase his height further. He smirked, watching the back of Narue, and disappeared from his spot.

"Ah, Team 7." the Third said, greeting the team as they entered the assignment room, "You are just in time. I have a mission here, just for you four." he explained, grabbing a scroll from his desk. As he threw it towards Kakashi, the silver-haired Jounin knew it couldn't be such a huge mission, so early in their ninja training. He opened the scroll slightly, and chuckled at it.

Narue turned to him, looking very enthusiastic, "What?! What is it?" she asked, holding an excited breath.

Kakashi smiled at her, and then replied, "For today's mission... We will be cleaning Konoha Bath-house's hot springs." he said to them. Shikamaru heaved a sigh,

"Way to make us feel like we'll be accomplishing something... Not like I wanted a bothersome mission, anyway." he said, frowning once more. Kakashi laughed lightly to himself, and looked to Narue, expecting her to be annoyed, or aggravated. But he was surprised to find her excited.

"Ohh, man! Really, old man?!" she asked the Third, grinning like an idiot. The Third smiled,

"You've never been able to see the Bath-house, have you, Narue? Please do a good job." he said to her.

Narue nodded several times, her grin ever present. She grabbed Shikamaru and Sasuke's hands, and began to drag them out of the assignment room. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her over-enthusiasm, which he saw as wasted on such a tiring task. Sasuke however, was just aggravated that a girl was holding his hand. Since when did people assume he couldn't walk himself to places on his own. Kakashi followed on behind them, wondering why Narue had never been in a bath-house before. Normally, it was a regular event in the routine of a young kunoichi, and Kakashi thought Narue to be the most over-enthusiastic kunoichi of the year.

_

* * *

__"No! Go some other place!" an angry growl came from the woman who owned the bath-house, as a young 9 year old Narue, caked with mud, stood at the front door, asking to be let in to bathe with innocent eyes._

_"B-But.. This is the only bath-house in Konoha, ma'am..! And my house doesn't have a bath.. S-So, please..?" Narue asked, putting her hands together desperately. _

_The woman shook her head, tapping her foot impatiently,_

_"I said, no. I can't have people thinking I'm foolish, letting something like you in this bath-house. It would ruin me! You think I'd enjoy getting no customers, because you scared them off?" she said, frowning. _

_Narue nervously looked to her side, then back up to the woman,_ _"Nee.. I-I'd still come." she replied. _

_The woman's eyes flashed, and she brought out her broom, swinging it at Narue, who gasped and dashed back just in time,_

_"I said, go find some other place!" she spat, and with a yelp, Narue scrambled away. The woman tsked, and turned back to the inside of her bath-house, walking inside. She was fully aware that hers was the only bath-house in Konoha, but she knew that the kid could easily bathe in a river, like others of her kind did. She felt no guilt, therefore._

* * *

"Heehee! Never miss the water until it's gone! Konoha's bath-houses are definitely my greatest inspiration..!" a man clearly passed the age of 50 sat in a bush, his eye pressed up against a hole in the wooden walls that surrounded Konoha's Bath house. This particular wall surrounded the bathing place for women. "Yes.. a little lower.. a little lower..!" the man chuckled, his rosy red cheeks reddening farther as a woman removed her towel before entering the hot-spring.

"Sorry, ladies, but the Genin have arrived to clean up the baths. You'll have to come back another time." a older woman said, coming in fully clothed. Some of the young women sighed disappointedly, and they quickly wrapped themselves up again, climbing out of the water. Behind the wall, the old man groaned, truly disappointed that his work had to be interrupted.

"Mou.. What am I supposed to do n-- Hum?" he muttered, watching as Narue entered the bath with an apron on over her clothes, and a basket full of cleaning tools. The old man gazed at the girl, his mind wandering back to the times of yesterday when he was a younger man, and a sensei to one of the greatest ninja's of this village. He remembered the determined look in the young boy's cerulean eyes, and his smart-aleck remarks, and most importantly, his great talent. He shook his head, snapping out of it, "_What is it about that girl that reminds me so much of.. him?_" he thought to himself, watching as the girl looked around her in amazement.

"Uuuah! So this is the Konoha bath-house? So cool!" Narue breathed, as she put down her basket. She smacked her hands together, "Better get to work! Oh yeah, let's do this!" she grinned to herself, and grabbed the broom, beginning to run from side to side with it, scrubbing the wet floors. The old man watched this with a thoughtful gaze.

Pretty soon, the old man's eyelids were drooping, bored from the lack of action, only until he noticed some strange behaviour from Narue. She had stopped in her place, looking over to him suspiciously, and then she was walking towards where his peeping hole was. He gulped, and moved away to avoid exposure. Suddenly, Narue jumped, and scaled over the walls, landing on the other side, next to the bush the old man hid in.

"_It's okay. Don't worry. You're perfectly hidden._" the old man thought to himself.

Narue pointed at him, her eyes closed in a fox-like fashion, "Dude, your hiding techniques are almost as lame as Konohamaru's." she said to him and the old man glared at her.

He stood up from behind the bush, towering over the short girl with his arms folded, "Kid, I'll have you know I didn't have very much time to whip up this hiding spot." he told her and Narue rolled her eyes at him, "Aren't you supposed to be cleaning that bath.." he asked Narue.

"I was until I noticed you spying. What're you, some kind of pervert?" Narue asked, frowning disapprovingly, her own arms folded too.

The old man shook his head,

"I'm alarmed that you'd actually accuse me of that. I am no mere pervert.." he paused for dramatic tension, and then he chuckled perversely, "I'm a Super Pervert!! Bwahahahaha!" he brought the chuckle into a cackle, wriggling his fingers suggestively at her.

Narue looked horrified, then furious, "WHAT!?" she practically screamed.

The self-proclaimed 'super pervert' begin to circle the girl, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and smirking, "Hmm.. You're a bit short, so your legs won't be anything to hoot at.." he said and Narue glared at him heatedly, as he continued to circle her.

"Shut up!!" Narue retorted, trying to refrain from whacking him with all she had. No telling how strong he was, but Narue knew he definitely had to be a shinobi.

"But either way, your chest more than covers up for that. What are you, a C-cup?" the old man asked, chuckling to himself.

Narue clenched a fist, shaking it at him, "You better watch it, you damn pervert!!" she screeched. The old man looked about, and was thankful to see nobody around. If his sensei found out he was back in town, he'd definitely cut into his free time more than he wanted him to.

The old man turned to Narue again, a big grin on his face, "Allow me to introduce myself!!" he said loudly, and did a series of seals, before slamming his hand into the ground, causing a large cloud of smoke to explode from the spot.

Narue coughed, covering her eyes slightly, "What the hell..?" she asked. When the clouds disappeared, Narue was shocked to see a large toad, which this old man stood on top of, in the place where he had slammed his palm into the ground. The toad was pretty huge, but not quite so big as the one from her strange dream.. What was it called again? Oh, yeah. Gamabunta.

"My name is Jiraiya, the legendary Toad Sage!!" the old man yelled dramatically, introducing himself. Narue didn't pay this Jiraiya any attention, and continued to stare at the toad he was standing on. "Hey, kid, I'm up here!" Jiraiya barked, annoyed (and a little disappointed) that he'd been out-noticed by his toad summon.

Narue slowly looked up to him, "Say, Toad man?" she began.

"Legendary Toad Sage!" Jiraiya repeated dramatically.

Narue sweat dropped, "Uhh, yeah. Anyway, are you the only guy who can do this?" she asked, pointing at the toad.

Jiraiya blinked, "What? Summon toads, you mean?" he asked her.

The Toad grunted, "Hey, if the only reason you summoned me was to look cool, I'm going to inform Gamabunta-sama about this." he said to Jiraiya.

The toad sage gulped, and clapped his hands together, "Agh, please don't." he pleaded, as Narue widened her eyes in realisation.

The toad grunted, "Well if there's nothing you wanted of me, I'm leaving--" he began.

"Wait a second." Narue said desperately, and the toad's eyes rolled over to her, "Um.. Who is Gamabunta..?" she asked the toad nervously. She'd never really given talking to animals before, but now that she knew some talked, she was nervous to try communication. The perverted sage seemed to have no problem with it, other than that he didn't seem to want to get Gamabunta angry.

"I don't need to tell you, human." he said, and disappeared in another cloud of smoke, leaving Jiraiya to land on the ground abruptly. Narue sighed in exasperation. Even toads were difficult with her!

Jiraiya peered down on the partially disappointed girl, and grunted, "Say, kid, what's your name?" he asked her suddenly.

"I don't need to tell you.." Narue repeated the toad's words and Jiraiya bristled.

"Don't joke with me! I'm a sannin, ya know!?" Jiraiya proclaimed.

"What the heck is a 'sannin'?" Narue frowned at the man.

"Hey Narue, where are you? Troublesome woman, you didn't even finish your part of the mission off! We don't get paid if the job's not complete" Shikamaru's voice came from the other side of the wall and Narue gasped.

"Coming!" Narue said, jumping and scaling over the roof, landing back inside the bath-house.

"What were you doing over there anyway?" Shikamaru questioned her.

"Talking to a pervert." Narue answered honestly.

"Like I needed to know the little details!" gasped Shikamaru, as Jiraiya watched on with a grumble. He thought he already told her that he wasn't _just_ a common pervert.

But on the other hand, "_Minato.. She's just like you..._" he thought to himself, a glint of sadness in his voice, and then he nodded to himself, having decided on an action.

* * *

And so, begrudgingly, Shikamaru had helped Narue finish cleaning the women's bath and the mission had been completed in little more than fifteen minutes. Kakashi bowed in thanks to the old lady that ran the bath-house, the payment for the cleaning in his hands. Narue also bowed to the old lady, only receiving an annoyed glare from the woman that had turned her away several times in the past, and had today been forced to allow her inside. She rued the day she asked for Ninjas to clean for her, but at the same time, was amazed at their work.

As Team 7 headed back to the assignment room to inform the Third of a job well-done, Jiraiya followed closely behind, keeping himself well-hidden. He followed them to the assignment room, and then waited on them exiting, which they did little more than ten minutes later.

"Hey, Narue, don't beat yourself up about it. My old man says all genin start off with lame missions like these." Shikamaru said to Narue, who looked both deflated and annoyed at the same time.

She threw a grin at him, "What're you talking about?" she said through her teeth, "I had a great time! That was the first time I've been inside a bath-house!" she said happily.

Shikamaru sighed, "And I thought you girls were obsessed with keeping clean." he grunted.

Narue punched his shoulder playfully, "Not all of them! Anyway, every time I tried, they'd push me away! I only got in today, because it was a mission." Narue said, putting her arms behind her head.

Sasuke blinked, "Why's that?" he asked her.

Narue didn't spare him a glance, and looked to the ground, "I don't want to talk about it." she said simply.

Both Kakashi, and the secretly watching Jiraiya, instantly knew why this woman turned Narue away from the bath-house every time, "_The Kyuubi.._" they both thought. Jiraiya frowned, and watched as the members of Team 7 parted ways, then was about to follow Narue, when Kakashi appeared in the bush beside him.

"Mind telling me what brings Konoha the honour of your presence, Jiraiya-sama?" he asked innocently, as Jiraiya jerked slightly away with from him with a frown.

Jiraiya tsked, "Fine, but first.." he paused, "Don't tell my sensei, the Third, okay?" he asked anxiously.

Kakashi smiled, "No problem." he agreed.

* * *

It was some time later that Narue got home, after an annoying run-in with Konohamaru, where the kid had insisted in an annoying, whiney voice, that Narue play ninja with him. She didn't necessarily want to. But boy was that kid persistent? In the end, it had turned out being pretty fun, messing with the kid using her bunshin and what not. Good fun, for a one-time thing. She arrived at her doorstep and blinked at feeling her foot kick against something. She looked down to find a small box at her feet, and raised her eyebrows at the parcel.

She knelt down, and prodded it suspiciously. Lessons at the academy had always warned her to not trust packages that they found at their doors. There was a chance that it could be a time-bomb, or a gas bomb that was triggered by contact. She gingerly picked the box up, and rattled it. There was a soft thump, followed by a harsher tap. The box was quite heavy, but whatever was in it, was pretty small.

How curious.

Heedless, Narue was naive enough to bring it inside with her anyway. She snapped the door shut behind her, and quickly untied the string around it as she headed into her kitchen. The string removed, the popped that inside a drawer, sure that she could find further use for it, and opened the lid cautiously, peering inside with abounding curiosity.

"Huh?" she asked, bringing out an oddly shaped kunai. This kunai seemed more like three-pronged dagger, each of the three blades thick and close together, and the handle was wrapped in tattered and worn bandages. Narue handled the dagger carefully, trying to experiment with the balancing of the dagger. She continued to do this for some time, and finally realised that this would be extremely difficult to use in battle without proper training.

She placed it down with a defeated sigh. Then she noticed a scroll still sitting inside the box, and took it out, unfurling it and beginning to read,

"_Dear Uzumaki Narue, use this chakra kunai well, it was a weapon of the Fourth..._" Narue blinked, "Fourth Hokage??" she gasped and continued reading, "_It'll be no cake-walk to master the use of this kunai, but I have a feeling you can do great things, if you do. But if you waste this gift, I swear, I'll..._" she trailed off, feeling nervous, "_Until we meet again, the legendary toad sage, Jiraiya._" she finished, and sat back with a sigh.

Why in the world was he giving a complete stranger something the Fourth used? Not that she was complaining. It was bound to make her stronger, if she were to master it, and then perhaps her dream would be closer. Not to mention, if it was the weapon of the Fourth, it had to be powerful. What did the pervert call it? A chakra kunai? What mysterious powers could be within it?

Narue took the chakra kunai in her hand again, and once again began experimenting with the balancing.

* * *

"Leaving so soon, Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi questioned, looking up from his book to see Jiraiya headed towards the gates of Konoha.

Jiraiya grunted, glancing at the silver-haired Jounin, and he smirked, "I'll be back for the Chunin exams, and nothing more. Again, don't tell the Third I was here." he said, and went on his way once more.

Kakashi watched him leave, then looked to the sky,

"_But why did he give Narue my sensei's kunai..?_" he thought curiously, frowning slightly.

Weeks passed since Jiraiya had paid Konoha a visit, and things had been slowly moving into a rut. Narue didn't like ruts. Currently, she and her team were partaking in a mission, which may have 

seemed intense to viewers, but in reality, it wasn't quite as thrilling as Narue wished her missions would be.

"Team, what are your positions?" asked Kakashi through his radio.

"I'm in point B! Over." Narue said quickly, trying to make it seem like she was actually enjoying this mission, when she really wasn't. Shikamaru and Sasuke's responses came soon after.

"Point A. Over." Shikamaru grunted.

"And Point C. Over." Sasuke muttered.

Kakashi nodded,

"Alright then. And... GO!!" Kakashi said, and his team dashed from their hiding spots, upon the dark beast they were tailing. Narue was the first to capture the fiend. Said fiend was a plump, old-seeming brown tabby cat with stripes across its head and a red ribbon tied firmly around his right ear. The cat wailed, and began struggling against Narue's chest, scratching desperately.

"Ow, ow, ow! Quit it, you stupid cat!!" Narue screeched, trying to keep the furious scratches out of her range, while Shikamaru stood over her, smirking at her misfortune, "You could help out, you know, lazy-ass!!" Narue said desperately.

"I would.. But it's just too much of a drag." he said in a teasing tone, the smirk not about to fade away any time soon.

"Gargh, I hate you!" Narue gasped.

"No you don't. You're just saying that, because the 'stupid cat' doesn't like you." Shikamaru shrugged, as Sasuke and Kakashi confirmed their target over their radios.

"We've got a positive ID. It's definitely the one we were looking for." Sasuke said calmly, not facing them.

Kakashi nodded, from his spot far away, as he turned a page in his book,

"Very good. Team 7's mission for the day, Find the Missing Pet, Tora, is complete. Let's take him to his owner and wrap this up." Kakashi said. With their mission in Narue's hands, furiously trying to escape, Team 7 headed towards the assignment room to hand it over and claim their prize.

Upon arriving, Shikamaru frowned at Narue,

"Na, Narue, what's up with you? Weren't you covered in scratches a couple of minutes ago? I've heard of fast healers, but.." he muttered to her as a large rotund lady claimed her cat from Narue, promptly squashing it into her chest and muttering sweet nothings to it. Narue nervously rubbed the back of her head,

"Yeah.. I've always been like this. Ever since I can remember!" she replied, glancing at the screeching cat, "_Hahaha! Take that, stupid cat!!_" she cackled, to which Shikamaru gave her an odd look, before retreating to the other side of their sensei.

* * *

What are the reasons for Jiraiya handing the chakra kunai of the Yondaime Hokage down to Narue? And why does it seem that our foxy prankster reminds him so much of the Fourth? How will this 'gift' tie in with Narue's future journeys? _**Only time, and the next episode of Kitsune no Shoujo, will tell!**_

* * *

**EDITED**: _16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check, and information updated)


	8. Ep 7: Onwards! To Wave Country!

**Episode 7 : Onwards! To the Land of Waves!**

Last time, on Kitsune no Shoujou, Narue, while working at a bath-house as a D-rank mission, confronted the master of toads, legendary (and perverted) sage, Jiraiya. For some reason, our foxy heroine reminded Jiraiya of someone close to him, and therefore, a mysterious parting gift, a strange kunai, was handed down to her. What role could this kunai play in Narue's journey to greatness? Today, on Kitsune no Shoujou, we may just come closer to finding out.

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

It was a lazy summer's morning in Konohagakure, and lined up in the assignment room located at the Ninja academy, was Team 7, consisting of Uzumaki Narue, Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru, alongside their sensei, Hatake Kakashi. They all stood before the panel of coucil members, chunnin(like Iruka, for example), and of course, the Third Hokage himself, who took pride in handing out missions to his village's shinobi.

"Ah, very good, team 7. It seems that Shijimi-dono is very pleased with your work, here, this morning." nodded the Third.

The robust woman coated in fine white powder make-up nodded, pressing her beloved cat, Tora to her chest, "Yes, yes, I'm so relieved that Tora-chan was not harmed. Thankyou ninja-san!" Lady Shijimi lightly bowed her head to the team, and then made her way over to the council members to hand over the payments necessary.

"Please, it was our honor." Kakashi nodded lazily to the lady.

The Third cleared his throat, and lifted a scroll baring a list of mission options, "Now that the first mission of the day is complete, your next assignment shall be.. to clean the back yard of Katsuhoro-dono of the Fire country." the man said after a thoughtful pause.

Narue twitched. Honestly, why did she even bother setting up all her hopes like a bunch of green bottles on a wall, just so the old man Hokage could shoot them all down with a calm expression set on his face, as if he'd raised a rifle to them to blow them all away?

"Oh jeez, what a drag.. I hate gardening." Shikamaru sighed.

Sasuke shook his head, "Stop complaining." he said coldly to the lazy Nara, who just huffed.

"There's always a way such menial-sounding labour can be turned into a form of training, you guys. Like for example, sweeping can somewhat improve the muscles in your arm, and telling weeds from herbs can exercise your decision skills." Kakashi reasoned to his understudies.

But unfortunately, Narue was not persuaded.

"Hell no! There's no way you can just make us do GARDENING and then slap a 'mission' label, on it! No way in hell! I ain't doing it!" she yelled, flustered and irritated.

Iruka gasped, shooting to a stand, "Narue-chan! It is rude to speak so disrespectively towards our Hokage-sama! And Kakashi-san is right! Even though the missions you get are hardly spectacular, they prove as useful training methods for an inexperienced genin!" Iruka exclaimed.

Narue folded her arms, "Could have fooled me! Well, then, where these lame missions will help me a little, a more amazing and daring mission will prove much more useful!" Narue argued.

Iruka faltered, and Narue continued to argue with the Hokage, which shocked her team-mates and horrified the older ones within the room(the council members and the lone Jounin, Kakashi). But it only amused the Third, who listened with mirth to what she had to say.

"I never thought you could speak so much sense, Narue.." Shikamaru said with a raised eyebrow. Back in the academy he'd always thought her to be a dunce(like him), as Sasuke also thought.

Narue nodded, "Well think again, lazy-ass." she said to him, then turned to the elderly(but definately not handicapped) leader of the village, "Listen up, old man! The day I graduated from the academy, I stopped being that trouble-making good-for-nothing brat. I'm a kunoichi of Konoha now and I think it's high time I was treated like one!" she declared to all present.

"_Hmm.. Narue's actually quite dedicated.. Definately not like the other girls who probably only became ninja to impress me(the fools).._" Sasuke thought, watching his female team-mate interest.

"_Oh joy.. If I ever have a headache in future I know just who to blame._" thought Shikamaru with a frown set on his face, then he let a light chuckle escape his lips, "_Can't help but hand it to her, though. She possesses enthusiasm I'll never have._" he added to his mental log.

On the other hand, while her two team-mates were privately admiring Narue's determination, standing slightly off to the side was an inwardly exasperated Kakashi.

"_Oh boy.. I just know I'm never going to hear the end of this one.._" he thought.

The Third chuckled to himself, "I see.." he said, looking to the team assembled before him, "Looking at it from your point of view, Narue, I can see that perhaps a more trying mission will benefit you and your team-mates." he said to them.

Kakashi looked to the lord with disbelief, "Hokage-sama..?" he questioned, surprised. The Third Hokage nodded, taking in the aroma of the smoke curling from his pipe,

"Very well then, Narue. I shall give team 7 a C-ranked mission. It is an escort assignment." he explained to the surprised young ninja.

Narue instantly brightened up, grinning from ear to ear, "I'm glad you see it my way, old man! Hee-hee!" she giggled girlishly.

"An escort mission? Are you kidding me..?" Shikamaru asked, then heaved a sigh, deciding to keep his disdain to himself for once.

The Third nodded, and turned to an attendant who stood by a door of to the side,

"I am not kidding. Please guide our guest in here." he said to the bespectacled man by the door, who nodded and turned to grab the door handle. It was then that the door opened by itself with a jerk, and in stepped an elderly man wearing a dark shirt and beige pants, along with cork-soaled sandles and with a towel around his neck. Over his lazy eyes he wore a pair of glasses, and his cheeks flushed red. In his hand he clenched a bottle of liquor.

"What the? So these are my so-called escorts? You have to be kidding me, that short one doesn't look like she could fight off a common bluebottle..!" he said.

"Eh!? Are you misjudging me, you old fart!?" gasped Narue, realising that she was the shortest person there, and immediately taking offence from the comment.

Shikamaru grabbed her hand, holding her back, "Calm down, don't let him get to you. The guy's drunk, he doesn't know the troublesome words he's spouting." he explained to her. Narue quickly recomposed herself, realising that he was likely correct.

She pointed to the old man, "Okay, listen up! We are awesome ninja, trained from birth in the ninja arts of ninjitsu! It's not a good idea to get the wrong idea about us, just because we seem young!" she said to him.

The old man tsked, "I couldn't give a flying rat's ass.. Oh well. Now you listen up. I am Tazuna of the Land of Waves, expert bridge-builder. I'm your charge so it's up to you, unfortunate as it is(for me), to protect me on my way back there, so that I can complete the construction of a bridge monumental for our homeland's future." the man named Tazuna announced.

Kakashi put his hand on Narue's head to cool her off(Tazuna's sarcasm was like striking a match to gas, for Narue), and nodded to their charge,

"We won't disappoint you, Tazuna-san." he said, "Will we?" he said firmly to his three understudies, who nodded.

"How troublesome." sighed Shikamaru, folding his arms, "Eh. Beats gardening, I suppose." he added as an after-thought.

"I'll say." Kakashi shrugged (though it wasn't as if he was going to help out with the gardening, anyway), "Okay, we'll all meet at the Eastern gate in two hours, and begin our escort mission to the Land of Waves. The mission'll take a week, so pack what you need, everyone." he said to his gennin, and the bridge-builder.

Everybody nodded, and they went their seperate ways.

* * *

"Eh?" Nara Shikaku looked over his shoulder, a glass of the good-stuff in his hand, as his son entered the Nara household, "What are you doing back, so soon, Shikamaru?" he asked. With him sat his two good friends, Yamanaka Inoichi(father of Ino), and Akimichi Chouza(father of Chouji), having a little get-together with free-drinks.

Shikamaru wandered over to his father, "It seems my troublesome team-mate's big mouth has landed my team an escort mission to the land of Waves. I came home to pack." he explained.

"Sounds really troublesome." agreed Shikaku, frowning.

Inoichi shrugged in the background, "But at the same time, it's like a huge step forward for your son, Shikaku." he reasoned.

Shikaku turned to Inoshi, "Hum? How so?" he asked his friend.

"Oh come on! It's only obvious." Inoichi smirked, "Our kids have only been gennin for little over a month, and already, your kid gets go out on a chunnin-type mission! I'm sure my Ino-chan would be envious!" he said.

Chouza shrugged, "Inoichi has a point." he paused to stuff his mouth full of the complimentary peanuts being served, "I mean, why aren't you happy for your son, getting such a big mission?" he asked.

"Because it's troublesome." both Shikaku and his son insisted, and the two young men sweat-dropped.

Shikaku sat back, and took a sip of his liquor, "Really.. A c-rank, while it holds less threat of danger than a b-rank, still risks clashes. Who knows what Shikamaru and his team'll go up against." he said, and turned to Shikamaru, "So don't go trying to play hero when it gets tricky." he advised his son.

"You thought I was going to?" he asked, and Inoichi and Chouza sighed at the two Nara's seemingly in-bred laziness.

* * *

Meanwhile, over at the apartments in which Narue lived, said blond was packing all the Ramen she could possibly need, along side other lesser necessities such as tooth-brush, pajamas, night-cap and clean underwear, along with her finest weaponry. She also stuffed her old stuffed fox toy (which Iruka had given her for her 8th birthday - her first ever birthday present) into her bag, and rummaged around her drawer for her alarm-clock, only to gasp and recoil, sucking her thumb.

"Owie! What was that?" she carefully searched her drawer for what had cut her hand, and brought out the offender, "Oh.. I forgot about this.." she mumbled, looking at the oddly shaped kunai in her hand. She remembered the perverted old man, who rode upon a gigantic toad, had handed it to her indirectly, a month ago, and had expected her to pick up the use of it, instantly.

Narue grinned, and decided perhaps the mysterious kunai could be of some use, stuffing it inside her ruck-sack.

* * *

"Alright, let's go!!" Narue yelled, full of energy after a tasty morning snack named Ramen, her hands up in the air, balled into fists. Behind her stood her two team-mates, sensei, and their sarcastic charge, Tazuna.

"Yay." Sasuke said with little to no enthusiasm.

Kakashi sighed, "Jeez.. Okay, Narue, you need to calm down and compose yourself. Sasuke, learn to live a little." he said, "And it wouldn't hurt to look at least a little bit enthusiastic, Shikamaru." he mentioned to the quiet boy stood beside him.

"What? Would you rather I acted like that troublesome woman over there?" Shikamaru asked. Narue folded her arms,

"C'mon, can't you cut me some slack? I've never been outside of the village before!" Narue said.

"Neither have Sasuke and I. And you don't see us screaming like an a bunch of lunatics." Shikamaru added. Narue shot him a glare, her face flushed with embarrassment. Tazuna stared at the bickering twelve year olds, and turned to Kakashi while pointing to them.

"Oi.. Are these shrimps really ninja? The dark-haired one looks at least a little professional, but the other two seem like morons." he asked the Jounin, whom sweatdropped. Shikamaru had heard this, and frowned at the old man,

"_He's drunk, he has no idea what he's saying. No need to hassle over it.._" he thought to himself. While he knew how to apply self-restraint, Narue had apparently forgotten the drunk-excuse in favour of yelling at the bridge-builder.

"Hey, old fart! We're protecting you! So can't you be at least a little greatful?" Narue asked him (more like shouted at him).

"You? Protecting me? With someone like you, protecting me, I'll be lucky if I make it two steps from this spot without being mortally wounded." Tazuna said, taking a swag of his beverage.

"What did you say?! Listen up, buddy! You're talking to the kunoichi who's gonna be the first ever female Hokage, here! Have some respect!!" Narue barked, pointing at Tazuna.

"Hokage, you say? Ha. The day you get appointed as Hokage, brat, is the day I sprout wings and fly." Tazuna snorted, downing another mouthful of his drink, only to notice he had none left, "_Shoot.. My nerves are getting to me more than I'd thought.. It wasn't supposed to be this way._" he thought.

Kakashi laughed nervously, holding Narue to keep her fists of fury out of range from the bridge-builder,

"Not to worry, Tazuna-san. I, Hatake Kakashi, am a more than capable Jounin. I shall protect you when they can not." he said, trying to reassure the elderly construction worker.

"_I hope you can live up to that.._" Tazuna thought, glancing to Kakashi, then nodded, "Very well, then, let's head out." he said. With that, the four ninja and the bridge-builder began on their journey.

* * *

Soon, the team and their charge were well on their way and they had employed their time well, with Kakashi educating them in what they should have learnt in their Academy days but apparently still were unaware of. Kakashi mentally scolded Iruka for supposedly forgetting to tell them who exactly the Hokage were. Narue and Shikamaru, he could understand, what with Narue's numerous absentee's and Shikamaru's in-class sleeping. But Sasuke was a different story. The kid was supposed to be top of his class.. But then again, maybe he just didn't feel like speaking up about it.

Kakashi gazed at a nearby puddle, as he walked by it, and frowned.

Shikamaru, too, had noticed the misplaced puddle, and whispered to his sensei, "Na.. isn't it strange that a puddle would be around. It hasn't rained in ages.." he muttered to the silver-haired guy.

"Very observant." Kakashi thought, and shrugged to Shikamaru easily.

Narue came to them, and grabbed Shikamaru's hand,

"Ne, c'mon lazy-ass! Check out the sky!" Narue said, pointing up, "It's so clear. I don't think I've seen such good weather in ages." she said walking him up ahead.

"Hn.. Neither have I." Shikamaru agreed. Sasuke watched on in silence, wondering why he disliked it that recently, Shikamaru and Narue had been holding hands a lot. Not that he cared, that is.

"_Hmph, that would be a waste of my time._" Sasuke thought, snorting to himself.

"_Here it comes.._" Kakashi thought, frowning to himself and preparing for action.

* * *

"Neee! This is so lame!" gasped Ino, sitting back onto her gloved hands from the patch of weed-infested land. Sitting by her, working enthusiastically at the weeds before them, was her team-mate Sakura, and sitting off in the corner, sneaking snacks, was Chouji, the lone male of the team asides from their sensei, Asuma, who was just returning from getting a snack.

"Stop complaining, Ino. Everything has it's purpose in ninja training." Asuma said, "Chouji, here's your dango." he said, tossing a packed-lunch take-away meal to the bulky boy.

"Ah! Thanks Asuma-sensei!" Chouji thanked, immediately unwrapping it.

"And what, pray tell, is the purpose of weed pulling, sensei?" Ino asked, folding her arms in a huff.

"Decisiveness. It's a useful skill." Asuma said sharply.

Sakura nodded in agreement, "It'll be useful, for you Ino-chan, so that you can pick a new love-interest, when Sasuke-kun and I are married." she said with a smirk.

Ino gasped angrilly, "I've had it with your high-and-mightly attitude, forehead girl! What gives?! Ever since orientation day you've been under the impression that he's already yours, when you know that isn't true." Ino said.

Sakura's smirk grew, "That's what you think." she mumbled.

Chouji paused in his eating to remember what his father had told him not long ago, "Hey, speaking of Sasuke, I think he and his team left on a mission outside of the village today. Sounds cool." he mentioned and the two girls snapped in his direction, eyes wide with surprise.

"Wha? Kakashi's team has a mission out of the village already?" Asuma asked.

"Well it's obviously because Sasuke-kun's awesome skills make up for the other two, making their team head and shoulders above we whom are stuck with the leftovers." Ino cooed.

Chouji frowned as Sakura ruefully agreed, "Are you comparing us to food? Now I'm hungry.." Chouji groaned.

Asuma was stroking his beard thoughtfully, "_Hmm.. Something doesn't sit right with this news.. Perhaps I'll go over it with tou-san, later.._" he thought to himself, as his understudies bickered about who was the coolest ninja ever, or what they wanted for dinner, "_On top of that, I'll need to have a word with him about how mismatched my team is.._" he added with a sigh.

* * *

"SENSEI!!" Narue gasped, horrified, as Kakashi was wrapped by the razor-sharp chains of two nameless attackers which had jumped them out of no-where. Their dark hair that obscured their eyes, coupled with their bulky metal-and-clothe armour, made them imposing enough, without the large gauntlets bearing sharp claws to increase their fear-factor. Everything about them, screamed "Lethal!!"

Shikamaru, his eyes wide with shock, watched in terror as the two mystery ninja pulled on the chains constricting their sensei tightly, causing them to squease on him then mercilessly rip him to shreds,

"Troublesome..!" Shikamaru gasped, frozen in shock.

"One little piggy..." mumbled one of the mystery ninja, and they quickly made their way for the one who seemed to be most affected by their attack.. Shikamaru.

"Two little piggies.." muttered the other mystery ninja, as he and his acomplice came up behind Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru..!" gasped Narue, watching as they closed in.

_**-Don't just stand there! A true shinobi never abandons their team-mate in dier situations!-**_

Narue shivered at the sudden voice in the back of her mind, and without giving it a second thought, hastilly dashed towards the battle, as did Sasuke, who lept to air with shuriken and kunai at the ready. While Sasuke hurled his weaponry towards the chains of the attackers, Narue dashed towards Shikamaru, barreling over him and knocking him to the ground.

"You idiot!! What were you thinking, freezing up like that!" Narue hissed at Shikamaru, who was still to surprised to respond, "_And what was that voice in my head.. It sounded so strangely familiar.._" Narue thought to herself with a frown.

"Narue! The bridge-builder!!" Sasuke yelled at Narue, who turned to see one of the attacking ninja heading towards Tazuna, who had also frozen in shock, as well as fear for his life. The man was not a ninja. And this was no common fly.. She'd show that guy that she could so fight off such vermin, and definatley bigger things, too!

Only to be outdone by their sensei, Kakashi, apparently uninjured, who entered in the nick of time to grab the attacking ninja, the other of the duo safely tucked under his other arm, unconcious.

"S-Sensei!?" gasped Narue, very surprised, "You're alive!" she cheered.

Kakashi nodded, "Un.. Is Shikamaru okay?" he asked Narue and Sasuke(whom was checking up on him).

Sasuke glanced over from attempting to bandage a scrape on Shikamaru's hand, "He'll live. It's lucky I had some disinfectant to get rid of the poison in their claws, or else he'd be unconcious by now. Narue's rescueing skills are anything but perfect." he said. Shikamaru was still in shock, by the looks of things, but he also seemed to be internally hurt as well as on the outside. Kakashi suspected the boy to be berating himself for freezing up like that.

Narue protested, "Nee! Can't you just say that I was awesome? 'Cause I rocked, and you know it!" she called to Sasuke.

Sasuke snorted, "Not in a million years, dobe." he said with a smirk. Narue sighed exasperatedly, and folded her arms with a fake pout.

Kakashi sighed, "I'll take a look at Shikamaru's injury later, just in case. But as for the moment," Kakashi turned to Tazuna, who gulped, "Mind telling us why these Mist ninja were after you?" he asked Tazuna.

* * *

Team 7's first big mission is finally beginning, and it's easy to see that from the battle that just took place, Tazuna-san's request was not assigned properly. It's clear that in this mission, the three gennin will be in danger, perhaps even greater than they had been this morning, and now that the Mist-nin duo have been taken care of, everyone turns to the guilty bridge-builder for answers! **_Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!_**

* * *

**EDITED:** _16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	9. Ep 8: Those Who Hide in Shadows and Mist

**Episode 8 : Those Who Hide in Shadows and Mist!**

_**Last time, on Kitsune no Shoujo**_, Narue, tired as heck of lame missions which entailed of chasing cats and de-weeding gardens, pleaded with the Hokage for a more fantastical mission. And did Team 7 ever get one? They were assigned their charge, the sarcastic and drunken old bridge builder, Tazuna of the Land of the Waves, to be his protectors as he build a bridge in his home country. It was assigned as a mere escorting C-Rank mission, easy as cake, right? But it seems the Hokage got his missions crossed and now it's up to the guilty Tazuna to explain why!

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

His dark eyes gazed into those of his reflection, watching as it distorted and became twisted from the waves lapping by the edge of the boat. Nara Shikamaru, along with his team-mates, sensei, and charge, were quietly guided through the foggy banks beneath a towering bridge, the same bridge that Tazuna was here to complete. The hope of the Wave Country. While Tazuna explained why it was imperative that they remain quiet, Shikamaru tossed a pebble into the water churning around the edges of the boat, and furrowed his brows as that nasty little voice in the back of his head spoke up.

_**It's all your fault, you know? Everyone was at a disadvantage against those ninja, because you froze up..**_

Shikamaru pursed his lips together, inwardly attempting to will his pessimistic side away.

_**Nothing new, huh?**_

"_Shut up!_" he thought to himself.

* * *

_"That's the one, huh?" an eight year old Chouji said, turning to his best friend, Shikamaru, who kept his eyes on the little girl with a shabby orange dress, who sat on a swing alone in the clearing ahead. _

_Shikamaru swallowed, and nodded in agreement, __"Yeah it's the girl our fathers say not to go near.. I don't see what's so bad about her. She seems harmless." Shikamaru said, keeping his eyes on the girl as he adjusted his sitting position in the bushes they hid within._

_"So does that mean you're gonna hold to that dare I gave you? Your father taught you the jutsu the other day didn't he?" Chouji asked his friend. _

_Shikamaru's eyes darted to Chouji's person, seeming frantic, __"What?? Today? I dunno if I can do it right, yet." Shikamaru said. _

_Chouji shrugged, __"It's troublesome, right? Ah well.. It's no big deal if it's not today, if you're scared of messing up." he said, taking out a packet of potato chips and opened them discreetly. Shikamaru gulped, and clenched his small fists. "C'mon, Shikamaru, let's go... Shikamaru?" Chouji watched as Shikamaru got up to his feet, and ran out of the bushes, towards the blond girl, confronting her._

_"Oi!" Shikamaru said to her, and she got up from her swing, facing him nervously._

_"Umm.. M-My name is Uzumaki Narue.." the girl, Narue, nervously attempted to introduce herself to Shikamaru. _

_Shikamaru ignored this attempt and put his hands together in the family seal, __"K-Kagemane no Jutsu!!" Shikamaru called out with a stammer, attempting his family technique which his father had been showing him for a few days now. His shadow became darker, and slid across the uneven grounds of the playground they stood in, but only managed to go ten centimetres from his feet before failing, and snapping back underneath the soles of his feet. Shikamaru gasped, shocked and worried._

_"_Never attempt this jutsu, until your chakra coils have developed enough, son._" his father had said to him, the day he taught Shikamaru the seals, "_If you do, it's certain to be a dud. As well as that, it'd exhaust your little body. Though not enough to kill you or anything._" he added._

_Narue blinked, watching the Nara inwardly panic, __"Uhh.. was that supposed to do anything?" she nervously asked him, then giggled, "Whatever it was, I'll bet it's a really lame jutsu." she added with a big grin. Shikamaru was about to retort, and tell her not to insult his family jutsu, when the strength in his legs left him, and he crashed to his knees. Trying without properly developed chakra coils had been a _really_ stupid idea. It wiped him out._

_"Nee! What's wrong? Why'd you fall over?" came the fading voice of Narue, followed by frantic footsteps from behind him and in front, as he blacked out. When he'd woken up, he'd been lying in a hospital bed, his mother and father looking over him with stern looks on their faces._

* * *

Looking up from the water to glance at his team and the elderly bridge-builder. Tazuna wearily gazed at each of them, then heaved a sigh.

"I suppose I have no choice but to spill everything. I'll give it to you straight, this mission is way out of the leagues of a mere C-rank mission. It is actually that of an A-rank mission. A super dangerous man is after my life, because it, so to say, jeopardizes his plans." Tazuna said.

Kakashi nodded, "And who is this man, that seeks your end?" he asked.

"He is Gatou, the shipping-magnate." Tazuna said grimly, and Kakashi's eyes widened.

"What? But he's the richest of the rich. Everybody knows him." Kakashi said.

Shikamaru raised his brows, and opted to question Tazuna further, "If that's so, then why would he do it?" he asked.

Tazuna sighed, "Because I am Tazuna, expert bridge-builder of the land of Waves. Gatou came here a while back, and since the land of Waves was such an isolated land, with little income, he quickly took over, and ruled over us strictly, and took all our money. The bridge I intend to build will bring in many merchants and tradesmen, and with them, our land will flourish." said Tazuna.

"This threatens his power over the country, am I right?" Sasuke asked, glancing towards the old man.

"Hmm.. Correct." Tazuna nodded.

Kakashi glanced at him, "So why assign this mission incorrectly? I hope you understand that doing so has put my students in great danger." he said, a dangerous edge to his voice. Tazuna sighed,

"Gatou administers a tough taxing system, it sucks our economy bone-dry. Even our daimyo has little money, if any at all. I didn't have the right payment to ask of the correct level mission. Please, but don't feel pity for me. If you were to just drop me off and leave, I'll surely be killed before I can blink. It will be alright! My grandson will merely cry every night, for his grandfather didn't come home to him like he said he would. And let's not forget that my daughter will loathe all shinobi for the rest of her life! Nothing to dyer! Haha." Tazuna said, getting emotional.

All members of team 7 sweat dropped.

Kakashi sighed, and smiled nervously, "Well, I suppose we have no choice but to finish our mission and safely escort you there." he said.

"Even though it's troublesome, there's no backing out now..." Shikamaru tsked, and Sasuke glanced at him, inwardly wondering why the only one who had froze up before, was acting so bold now.

Sasuke nodded, "Yeah.. This'll be a good test of our skills, anyway." he agreed. Narue giggled,

"Yeah!! I'm gonna be Hokage, after all! This'll be cake-walk for me." she said, giving the old bridge-builder a thumbs-up.

Sasuke eyed her, "I wouldn't be so sure.." he muttered.

Narue looked over to him with a glare, "What was that?! Sasuke-teme!!" she said with a raised voice.

"Oi! Keep it down! Why do you think we're not using the boat's motor, you brat? We're trying to be discreet." the boat rower said with a groan, and Narue gasped, putting her hand over her mouth and muttering an apology. Sasuke discreetly smirked at Narue's mistake, while Shikamaru sighed, leaning back against the edge of the boat.

"This is worrying.. What do you suppose we should do about this?" asked a young boy with long, dark-brown hair, tied back into a bun, with a thick bang at each side of his face tied into neat tails, hanging over the porcelain of his white, nondescript mask with a red wave insignia painted over it, and the symbol for the Hidden Mist Village carved into the top. He wore a dark-green and pale-yellow yukata over a brown turtle-neck, along with brown trousers and cork-sandals also. This boy looked up to his master.

His master was shirtless, with a chiselled chest, a strap across his chest holding the gigantic cleaving sword upon his back, along with baggy grey pants, and sandals that encased all of his feet albeit his toes. He wore his forehead protector lop-sided and with the metal plate bearing a the Hidden Mist Village symbol, scored through the middle roughly, attached to the left of his head. His lower face was loosely bandaged up, leaving only his harsh, grey eyes to stare out onto the horizon beyond them.

"Hmph.. Miezu and Gouzu never used to come back empty handed.." he said sharply and behind the two, the twin mist-ninja shuddered at the chilling voice of their superior, "I suppose that means the ninja the bridge builder hired aren't ordinary. I'll look into it myself, and you shall watch from the shadows. Take Yuki, in case you're spotted." said the tall man. While the young boy seemed a bit upset for some reason, he quietly nodded, lifting a white rabbit to his chest.

"Hai. Zabuza-sama." nodded the boy. The tall man, Momochi Zabuza, glanced towards his young protégé, before disappearing in a flash. The young boy followed him without the word, leaving the twin mist-ninja, Meizu and Gouzu, all alone.

They looked to one another, "N-Now what, nii-san?" asked one.

"Well, Gouzu, after such an embarrassing defeat, I can say we're pretty much screwed." answered his brother, Miezu.

* * *

"C'mon! Why're you walking all alone, here?" Narue asked, walking beside Sasuke, who was doing his best to ignore her.

He looked to the bright azure of the sky above him, but found out, as resident Sasuke-fan girl Ino had found, that the sky only reminded him of Narue once more, and with that, reminded him of her and Shikamaru when they were looking at the sky earlier.

"_No. Stop thinking about that. It was nothing. You don't care._" he told himself firmly, and continued ignoring Narue while looking at the path instead. Narue folded her arms and huffed. This was why she couldn't figure out for the life of her why everybody liked such an antisocial prick. Even Sakura, who was supposed to be smart!

"_Why would he be ignoring me? He's not even insulting me or anything! Could it be that he thinks I'm not worth his time?_" she thought, and then hit her palm with a fist, "_Yeah, that must be it! Well I'll just have to show him, like I'll show everybody, just what a great kunoichi I am!_" she thought, and fingered at her kunai pouch, looking around as if trying to anticipate the enemy's next movement. Left? Right? Left?

To Shikamaru, she seemed like she was losing it. He raised a hand, sweat dropping,

"Uhh.. Narue, what're you doing?" he asked, only to be shocked when Narue tossed a kunai into the bushes yelling 'Ha!!', "Narue, what the hell!" he gasped. Kakashi sighed,

"Narue, you do know that those are lethal weapons you're handling... right? You have to be careful." he said.

"_Dobe.._" Sasuke thought, frowning at his female team-mate, "_What's she trying to prove?_" he added.

Tazuna looked like a volcano about to erupt, face red from both anger and embarrassment. He'd really gotten a shock when she'd done that, which was probably due to being on edge since Ninja were after his life, and he didn't particularily trust his life with a hyper-active blond, a complaining lazy bum, and a stuck-up antisocial kid. He had nothing against the Jounin, though, but what if they were outnumbered?

But back to Tazuna.

"You brat!! What are you trying to do?! Make me go into cardiac arrest?!" Tazuna yelled at the girl. Narue ignored the annoying old coot, and began to look around again for another possible hide out for her enemies. Whether they were imaginary or not, their team-mates thought it to be the first option.

"Right there!!" Narue said and threw another kunai into the bushes.

Shikamaru snorted, "Knock it off, you're only wasting kunai, troublesome woman!" he groused, as Kakashi went over to the bush and pushed the shrubbery aside, with an interested twinkle in his eye.

Sasuke glanced over to see what Kakashi was spying, and sighed, looking back to Narue,

"It's just a rabbit.." he said, as Kakashi thoughtfully observed the white rabbit flinching, a kunai stuck just a hair away from his head in a tree trunk. Narue scrambled over to see, and gasped, grabbing the rabbit in her hands and nuzzling it do her bosom,

"Eeeeh, I'm so sorry, Usagi-san!!" she gasped.

In the brush nearby, the masked mist-nin let out a quiet sigh, watching a blond genin from the leaf, nuzzle his white rabbit and babble apologies and such.

"_You saved my life, Yuki-chan.. Guess that's your purpose in life, as it is mine.. Huh?!_" he thought, gasping quietly as the blond girl made eye contact with him, "_How did she spot me? Shoot, I've got to withdraw. I hope Zabuza-sama will do fine without my observations for now._" he thought, dashing away as Narue began running towards him with the bunny.

"Na, Narue, where are you going?! Get back here - we don't have time for your dawdling!" Shikamaru called after Narue as she disappeared into the dense shrubbery. Shikamaru tsked, massaging his forehead.

Sasuke glanced around, "Should I go after her?" he asked their sensei, trying to seem uncaring.

Kakashi shook his head,

"No." he replied easily, "_That rabbit was a snow hare.. But its coat should be brown right now, so that means it was a kawirimi. So, where will they come from... THERE!_" he thought, "Everybody duck!!" he said, pushing Shikamaru to the ground, while Sasuke tackled Tazuna to the ground.

And just in time, too; As a huge cleaving sword hurtled through the air like a simple shuriken, cutting through the air like a knife through bread, before cutting into the trunk of a nearby oak tree, and sticking in place as a sort of platform.

And taking his place on that platform was...

"Momochi Zabuza, huh?" Kakashi asked, getting up from the ground and letting go a rather frazzled Shikamaru.

"What the heck..?" Shikamaru mumbled, and looked up to their opponent, "_What a troublesome looking guy.. But maybe.. maybe this is my chance to prove I'm not a coward. Who am I kidding, I can't move.._" he thought.

Sasuke slowly got up, and went over to Shikamaru, holding out a hand,

"Get up." he muttered, grabbing his arm roughly and pulling him to a stand. Shikamaru muttered to himself, rubbing his arm and looking back up to the missing-nin before them.

"You guys, I don't want you interfering with this battle.. it's gonna be a bit rough. You two protect Tazuna as best you can from the rear and I'll take the front!" Kakashi said, grabbing the part of his forehead protector that flopped over his eye, "_Damn, Narue, where are you? We can't protect Tazuna-san to our best, without our third member. The swastika formation isn't effective without you!_" Kakashi thought to himself frustratedly.

"Ah so this is who defeated Meizu and Gouzu so easily. Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, right? I hope you don't mind handing over the old man. He's my target, not you." Zabuza responded.

Kakashi kept his wary gaze on Zabuza, and pulled his forehead protector up,

"Not an option, Zabuza. We were assigned to protect this man." he said, two tomoe swirling in his crimson red left eye.

Sasuke nearly choked, seeing it, "_What the?! But the Sharingan is the Uchiha bloodline! Kakashi-sensei couldn't be an Uchiha!... Could he?_" he thought, keeping his eyes on his sensei, now, more than their opponent.

Shikamaru gulped, swallowing the swirling emptiness of fear growing in the pit of his stomach, "_Narue!! What a stupid time to run off for a toilet break! Gah!! Okay, calm down. Now is not the time to let my mind wander._" he thought, getting into a position that would hopefully protect Tazuna, who's expression pretty much said, 'Yeah I know I'm screwed'.

Meanwhile, the one on every Team 7 member(sans Sasuke, who was still wondering why Kakashi had Sharingan), was looking around the forest, oblivious to how much danger her friends were in. She looked over her right shoulder to hear a noise akin to a really, really big shuriken flying, and was about to investigate it, when she heard a rustling behind her and faced it.

"Come out!!" she said, pointing to the bushes with her eyes shut in a fox-like fashion.

With a quiet sigh, the masked boy rose from the bushes in the opposite direction to where Narue had pointed, "Behind you." he said and Narue turned to him again.

"Who're you!?" Narue asked, pointing at him.

"It's rude to point. And isn't it common courtesy to give your own name, before inquiring of one?" the boy replied quietly. Narue blinked,

"Wha?" she mumbled, then quickly recovered, "Of course! I'm Uzumaki Narue, future Hokage of Konoha! What about you?" she asked with a big grin. The masked boy blinked,

"_She's very open.._" he thought in surprise, "Um.. Haku." he replied, not sure what else to say.

"Haku.. What a weird name!" Narue said, giggling. Haku nearly faltered, shocked at the sudden blunt comment, but quickly caught himself, as a thick mist swept across the area, obscuring the sight of his company, but he being used to the atmosphere, understood what this meant, and didn't panic, like Narue was.

"_Zabuza-sama has already confronted the Konoha ninja. I need to head there and observe!_" he thought, "I must take my leave." he mumbled, and prepared to jump off.

"Hold it right there! You aren't going anywhere!!" Narue said dramatically.

Haku looked over and sighed, "_I wonder if she realises she's hugging a tree.._" he thought, and left the area, "_What an amusing girl. I hope we can meet again.. If fate allows for it._" he thought, heading towards the area of the impending battle.

* * *

"_If I could just pinpoint the guy.. Maybe I could use Kagemane jutsu on him._" Shikamaru thought, looking around nervously. He head a shudder side come from nearby him, and turned to see Sasuke was in even worse condition than he was.

The missing-nin that their sensei called Momochi Zabuza, had used some sort of stealth jutsu to create this thick fog, and one couldn't deny it was effective. There was absolutely no telling which direction the mist-nin would strike from.

"Where should I hit first? Heheh. Throat, or spinal column? Lungs, liver, jugular vein, subglavian artery, or the kidneys? Or should I make it quick and painless, by piercing the heart?" came the voice of Zabuza, the origin of said voice unknown.

"He's messing with us..!" gasped Shikamaru quietly, shivering, his eyes wide with anticipation. Kakashi himself daren't blink at the chance of being attacked while his eyes were closed for that split second. Kakashi put his hands together into the seal for a bunshin, surprising his company of three. It was quiet for a moment. Nothing but the morbid silence greeted them. Sweat trickled down from their faces, as they huffed with maddening fear.

Suddenly, Kakashi's voice broke the silence, "Don't let him get to you, Sasuke." he said calmly and Shikamaru turned to see Sasuke, his kunai positioned to strike his own throat.

Shikamaru nearly fell over, if the situation weren't so serious, he would have, "Idiot! What're you thinking?!" asked Shikamaru.

"Both of you - cool it. Focus on protecting Tazuna-san, and I'll make sure none of you are harmed. I'll never let my comrades die." Kakashi said, glancing over his shoulder and smiling amicably to his two genin.

"How sickeningly sweet." came the bitter voice of Zabuza, an in the blink of an eye, the missing-nin appeared, crouching behind Sasuke with his blade unsheathed, "Meet your maker, old man!" he said roughly, turning round, and swinging at Tazuna. But before he could, Kakashi appeared in front of Tazuna, lunging at Zabuza with a kunai knife, and stabbing him in the gut.

"Keh. Good, but not good enough." Zabuza said, becoming water, and falling to the ground to form a puddle.

"Kuso. Mizubunshin!" Kakashi said, and turned to block an attack from the real Zabuza, whom promptly slashed right through him with his huge cleaving sword.

Sasuke paled, "K-Kakashi-sensei..!" he gasped, "_Where on earth is Narue..!_" he thought desperately, but was surprised to see his sensei become water as well.

Shikamaru gulped, swallowing the lump in his throat, as Kakashi appeared behind the shocked Zabuza, placing a kunai to his throat,

"_So you were a water clone too. Man, sensei, you had us worrying a second._" he thought, then his eyebrow twitched, "_Maybe now's my chance!?_" he thought, realizing his opportunity. While Kakashi had Zabuza in his grip, Shikamaru could easily attach his shadow. He only needed to find the time when Zabuza dropped his guard in favour of focusing on Kakashi.

"Game over, Zabuza." Kakashi said to the mist-nin.

"A simple act of mimicry isn't going to beat me, hairless ape. But it's impressive, I'll admit, that you managed to duplicate my Mizubunshin in such a short time. I suppose they don't call you the Copy-nin Kakashi, for nothing." Zabuza drawled, and smirked under his bandages, "But it's just too bad, that-- Huh?" he inwardly gasped, as his body froze on spot. And it wasn't out of fear.

"Yes... Capture successful!" Shikamaru said breathlessly, smirking, his hands held in the usual hand seal unique to his family. Zabuza's beady eyes rolled towards Shikamaru, a bit stunned.

Kakashi also looked over to Shikamaru, "What are you doing? I told you, your place in this fight is to protect Tazuna-san." he said hurriedly.

Shikamaru sighed, "And a fat lot of good that did. I mean, without Narue to act as a third table leg, our team is bound to fall over, breaking what it was supporting. If you'll excuse the metaphor. I believe my best shot at being useful is to subdue our enemy." Shikamaru said, focusing on Zabuza.

"Che. Not bad.." Zabuza smirked to himself.

"_Woah.. This kid isn't half bad.. And I thought he was just a whiney slacker..!_" Tazuna gasped, marvelling at the twelve year old's resolve.

Zabuza chuckled darkly, and continued, "But like I was saying to Kakashi... I'm not that easy to 'subdue'!" Zabuza said, and Shikamaru was suddenly thrown back by a kick to the face.

Sasuke spun round to watch as Shikamaru rolled over a few times, before putting a hand to the ground and sorely pushed himself back up. His shadow had broken during the offence he took, and the one he had been holding, melted into water.

"No way! He was a Mizubunshin too!" Shikamaru gasped, shocked, as everyone else was. Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, glaring menacingly at Kakashi's back, ready to strike Kakashi.

"Behind you!!" Sasuke yelled and Kakashi turned around to be slugged in the chest and sent flying back across the field and into a nearby lake. Kakashi surfaced soon after, brushing his drenched silver locks out of his eyes with a groan, only to let his eyes widen as Zabuza appeared behind him, forming a series of seals.

"Suiro no jutsu: Water Prison technique!" Zabuza said, and without warning, the water around them gathered, creating a sphere of water around Kakashi, encasing him within.

"_Damn!!_" Kakashi inwardly cursed. Shikamaru hissed, his eyes wide with anxiety, and he pulled himself up, ignoring his screaming muscles who demanded rest after such a blow, and staggered over to Sasuke's side to aid him in protecting the old man.

"_Where the heck is that snot-nosed loudmouth who said she was going to 'protect' me!? She's taking her sweet time with that damn rodent!_" Tazuna thought, keeping behind Sasuke for good measure. He wasn't the best shield ever, but it was better than being completely open for attack.

Sasuke gulped, and raised a kunai just in case Zabuza came for them, "_Narue, where are you when we need you? I can't protect this guy, on my own, no matter how much I wish I could!_" he thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, Narue had deduced that she was hugging a tree and not the mysterious turtle-neck wearing masked-kid, and had leapt away from it in shock.

She looked around in vain, the mist really starting to annoy her, "Damn it, where'd that Haku go? Some nerve, ditching me like that! I'm gonna give her a good talking to when I see her again! If I see her again, of course.." she trailed off, when the hairs on her arms prickled.

She rubbed them vigorously, trying to warm up, "What the.." she mumbled, "_Why do I get the feeling I should be somewhere else?_" she thought, and gasped when the white rabbit leapt out of her backpack, where she'd been storing it for safety, and began hopping away, "Hey, where are you going!?" she yelled, running after it. Little did she know, the rabbit was leading her to the battle zone.

* * *

Will Narue make it to the battle before it's over, and be able to help save her comrades? Now that Kakashi-sensei is trapped, it's all up to the genin to ensure Tazuna isn't killed. But like Shikamaru said, without Narue, their defence isn't going to work. Can the three genin come up with a plan to protect their charge, and save their sensei at the same time? _**Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!**_

* * *

**EDITED:** _16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	10. Ep 9: Voices In My Head

**Episode 9 : Voices In My Head**

_**Last time on Kitsune no Shoujo**_, doubting his usefulness on their mission, Shikamaru made a hasty advance when missing-nin from Kirigakure, Momochi Zabuza, attacked their group, seeking the death of their charge. Kakashi said he could handle it and that he would protect his comrades, but can he really, now that he's trapped inside the Water Prison Jutsu, courtesy of Zabuza, things don't look too good. Meanwhile, will Narue stop dilly-dallying with the rabbit and realise that her friends need her help? Today, on Kitsune no Shoujo, we are about to find out!!

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Narue ran steadily through the thick fog, brushing by the dense forestry of Wave Country and wondering why she hadn't made it back to the others yet. She prayed she wasn't lost. Her guide, Usagi-san, had disappeared so suddenly, so now her only shot at navigating this forest was a no-go. Suddenly, the cry of a familiar voice filled the area and Narue stopped in her tracks, taking in a deep breath.

Her eyes wide, she looked around, searching for the owner of the voice,

"_Th-that was Sasuke.._" she thought worriedly, and ran in the direction she thought she'd heard Sasuke, "_What's going on? Sasuke? Shikamaru..?_" she thought, regretting having chased that chakra signal she'd sensed. It had just turned out to be a weird masked girl with a guy's name, and a strange fashion sense, anyway.

As she rushed through the mist towards her team, the voice she'd heard earlier that day entered her thoughts again.

_**-Transfer your chakra into the chakra kunai Jiraiya-sensei gave you, and picture your team-**_

That sounded pretty much like an order, and although Narue hated taking orders from people, (especially from Sasuke), she felt that if she didn't follow this strangely familiar voice's orders, she'd be getting a lot of headaches in the future. Or something like that. She wasn't sure how these strange voices smite the ones they spoke to, really.

She rummaged through her kunai pouch, and finally brought out the strangely shaped kunai that Jiraiya had handed down to her a couple of months ago, and held it in her hand as best she could. It was kinda heavy for a kunai.. Despite that, she gritted her teeth, and pushed whatever chakra she could muster into the knife, snapping her eyes shut and picturing her team-mates.

_-Oi. Don't think I forgot about what you did to me. You won't get away with it." -..._ Sasuke-teme...

_-Hey, Narue, don't beat yourself up about it. My old man says all genin start off with lame missions like these-..._ Shikamaru...

_-Narue, you need to calm down and compose yourself-..._ Kakashi-sensei...

"_Don't worry you guys.. I'm on my wa--What the!_" Narue inwardly gasped, as a chakra surrounded her, and suddenly, she felt as though she was fading away like a shadow once attacked by the sunlight. She kept her eyes gingerly winced closed, as she felt her body fly through a wind-like force, continuing to run on through the throttle.

* * *

Zabuza's water-clone smirked beneath his bandage-crafted mask, pressing his heel into Sasuke's stomach. The boy had dared to stay in his spot, and try and stop him from attacking his target.. He seemed so determined to prove his skills as a ninja in front of such an infamous nuke-nin, and he seemed confident that he'd be able to.

"_What a foolish child.._" he thought, "Heh. You call yourself a ninja. When I was younger than you I'd already killed thousands with my bare hands. How many lives have you ended?" he asked the dark-haired leaf-nin.

Sasuke grunted in pain, his hands clasped around Zabuza's ankle, and wincing, he opened one of his eyes, "_I may not have killed anyone myself.. But I've seen far too many deaths with my own eyes..._" he thought angrily, this fueling his cause, "Don't act like you know what I've been through so well!" he shouted, and with his resolve at hand, shoved Zabuza's foot off his stomach. Zabuza snorted, and brought back his 'discarded' foot to smack Sasuke across the face.

"Wake up, brat. Do you even know who I am?" Zabuza growled, scowling at the boy. As he prepared to press harder against Sasuke's chest with his foot, a new voice entered the area,

"Yeah! You're the eyebrow-less freak who's about to eat my steel!!" came the unmistakable voice of Narue, as the busty blond came plummeting towards the water-clone of Zabuza with her chakra-kunai, striking at the chest and hitting it dead on, only to be very shocked when he turned into a puddle of water. She landed on the ground, and stared at the puddle, "What the f--" she began.

"Narue!! It's about time you got here!" Shikamaru interrupted, sounding annoyed, frustrated and relieved at the same time.

Narue gave him a thumbs up and a grin, then turned to Sasuke, holding out a hand to him, "Sasuke, I'll help you up." she offered to him, and the stubborn Uchiha snorted, using his own hand to push himself up off the ground, and dusting himself off with a frown.

He looked to her with the frown still present, "Where on earth were you?" he asked her.

Narue pouted at his refusal to let her help him up, and sighed, "Well, I sensed a new chakra, and I thought maybe it was Usagi-san's owner!" Narue explained, shrugging.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Usagi-san..?" he asked disbelievingly, "_She actually named the rabbit she nearly beheaded..? Ugh._" Sasuke thought, disgruntled. Over with Zabuza and Kakashi, both high-rank ninja were shocked in their own way.

"_Who is this obnoxious brat..? And how in the hell did she defeat my mizubunshin.. I wonder if the rabbit they're talking about is Haku's.._" he thought, still a bit shocked, but nonetheless, in control of the situation.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was shocked, because of the weapon Narue held in her hands, "_Sensei's kunai...! And Narue already figured out how to use it? How can that be..?_" he thought, astounded.

"What the hell was that technique you used, Narue?" Shikamaru asked, scratching his head in slight awe.

Narue looked at her chakra kunai, and frowned, not knowing herself what it was, "You know what, lazy-ass? I haven't got the foggiest." she said, and Shikamaru sweat dropped, inwardly wondering if that pun was the intended, "So is anybody gonna tell me why the eyebrow-less freak turned into a puddle?" Narue asked her two male team-mates, that painfully clueless look on her face.

That's what she gets for coming in at the last minute..

"Idiot!! That guy's Momochi Zabuza! He's a missing-nin from Kirigakure and he's trying to kill us to get to the old bridge builder!" Shikamaru said, the whole troublesome-ness of everything already 

stressing him out more than necessary. He'd have happily traded being stuck with that loud-mouth Ino, over this! On second thought.. No. At least this way he avoided being bossed around by a girl.

"I believe you're forgetting something." Zabuza said, performing a one-handed seal, creating another mizubunshin. As the clone rose from the puddles sporadically placed around the field, Narue twitched,

"How is he doing that?" Narue asked, as the colours (or lack thereof) of Zabuza were added to the clone, and it looked up to them with grave intensity.

"Mizubunshin. Same principles as your Kagebunshin, only with water. Obviously." Shikamaru replied, as Sasuke raised a kunai to protect himself. Narue gasped, and raised her chakra kunai, hoping it would work a second time. Kakashi looked on in horror for a moment longer, before calling out to them,

"What are you doing!? You don't stand a chance against this guy without me so get out of here! His Mizubunshin can't get too far away from the original body, so take our charge and run!!" he yelled to his students through his watery prison.

Narue sucked in a breath. The tension here was so thick you could cut it with a kunai knife. It was kinda difficult to breath.. With the rogue-nin's menacing glare penetrating her, she shivered and stumbled back.

"_His eyes.. they're filled with.. blood lust! I have to get away.. there's no way I can beat this guy!! Ugh, this sucks! This--_" she was cut off when Zabuza's clone suddenly slammed a kick into her face, sending her skidding back. She groaned, getting up shakily, and was shocked to find everything start to spin around. Everything was fading, like an old film being burned. Before letting out a groan and falling backwards, she glanced wearily towards Shikamaru, then briefly to Sasuke and then everything went black...

* * *

_She found herself in a large, dark, murky and damp dungeon, before a set of bars that could possibly hold back a giant. Groaning, she sat up again, rubbing her forehead, and looking bleakly around. Her eyes focused on the bars before her, where she heard a steady, loud, breathing. She winced as a gust of wind, with a putrid scent swept across her, and covered her nose, waving away the scent._

_"What the hell is that..?" she asked out loud, "And where am I??" she added with furrowed brows._

_**-It's the seal that keeps the Kyuubi imprisoned within you. And we're inside your mind.-**__ The voice caused Narue to spin around, shocked to be looking into a pair of cerulean eyes. This voice.. It was that one who'd been ordering her around today! She'd teach him a thing or two if his icy glare didn't scare her so much. Disappointingly, his eyes were all that she was permitted to see. She took a tentative step forwards, only to be halted. __**-Stay where you are.**__- The voice said._

_"B-But who are you?" Narue asked nervously, stepping back a bit._

_**-That's not important for now.. I called you here, because you were considering abandoning your sensei in favour of surviving. What did I say earlier? Refresh my memory a little**__-_

_Narue gulped. Oh boy. Whoever this guy was, he was pissed. This guy must be really insistant about loyalty. Narue took in a breath, and repeated the first words this voice had told her today._

_"'A true shinobi never abandons their team-mate in dyer situations'..?" Narue asked._

_**-Correct. And what were you just about to do?**__- The voice interrogated Narue further. Narue hung her head slightly,_

_"Abandon my sensei.." she began, "B-But Kakashi-sensei said that--!"_

_**-Your sensei isn't always right, Narue!-**__ The voice boomed and Narue gasped, stepping back a bit more, the mystery man within the shadows sighed exasperatedly,__** -Look, trust me. If you were to leave with your team-mates, which might I note, your team-mates are doing right now, what would Zabuza do? He'd kill Kakashi, and then come after you himself. See?-**_

_Narue gulped, seeing this intelligent anonymous had a point. That's probably what Zabuza _would_ do if they ran away with Tazuna. Wait a minute..._

_"Shikamaru and Sasuke are running from the battle with Tazuna?" she asked, not surprised, but worried. The mystery man nodded his head, or it seemed so, as his eyes moved out of sight for a moment, before returning,_

_**-Yes. You passed out when I called you in here, so 'Shikamaru' took Tazuna, while 'Sasuke' took you. They're not far from the battle, so you might get back there in time. But before I send you back, I need to make sure you'll think up a plan instead of rushing in blindly.-**_

_Narue nodded, and grinned at the mystery man before her, giving him a thumbs up,_ _"Don't worry. I'm a quick thinker!" she said confidently. _

_Her head-mate's eyes seemed to smile, as he replied, his voice fading out as Narue began to wake up,_

_**-I know you are.. I know you need to be.. I'm sorry, Narue. Good bye, for now.-**_

* * *

"Narue!" a voice came to ears, and she didn't stir; After a while, the same voice came again, "Narue, wake up!" the voice repeated, and Narue moaned slightly, "Come on, you troublesome woman!" the voice added with a hint of frustration.

"I think we can assume your methods aren't working. Try this." another voice came in, and Narue screeched as a bucket of ice-cold water was thrown over her. She flailed around in surprise for a moment, before picking the toad that sat on her face off of her, and sitting up, glaring heatedly at the slightly smirking Uchiha Sasuke. "Nice to see you're finally with us." Sasuke said.

"Gagh, you bastard!! You didn't need to pour freezing cold water all over me! Look at me, I'm soaked!!" Narue screeched at him.

"Maybe we shouldn't have woken her up after all.. tsk." Tazuna said, standing nearby them with a troubled look on his face. Narue glared at everything in general, until she realised that 'everything in general' was nowhere near similar to what she'd seen before she went off to that strange place inside her head.

"Where the heck are we now? Where's sensei!?" Narue gasped, shocked. She scrambled to her feet, staggering slightly and landing with her shoulder against Shikamaru's before regaining her balance.

Shikamaru tsked, "Don't you remember? Kakashi-sensei said flee so we made a tactical retreat. If we move now, we can make it to Tazuna-san's house in twenty minutes, and sensei will catch up with us when he's done with Zabuza." Shikamaru explained.

"Idiots!!" Narue exclaimed, horrified. Apparently, they were even more far away than that voice inside her head had guessed. Or maybe the transition between inside her mind and outside of it had taken up quite a bit of time.

_**-Unfortunately so.**__- _came the voice again and Narue twitched in surprise. Shikamaru blinked at her, waving a hand in front of her face.

"_You can still talk to me he-- Oh right. You're inside my mind, so of course you can.. Uhh.. What now?_" Narue thought, wondering if the voice in her head could hear her like this.

_**-You need to head back to the battle zone. You should leave Shikamaru with the bridge-builder, tell them wait for you.-**_

Narue turned to Shikamaru and the bridge builder with a serious look on her face, "Shikamaru, you wait here with Tazuna-san. Me and Sasuke are going back to get Kaka-sensei." she said firmly.

Shikamaru blinked in surprise at the sudden authoritive nature, while Sasuke raised his eyebrows, "Kakashi-sensei ordered us to take Tazuna-san to his home. Why should we do otherwise?" he asked.

Narue turned to him, "Because Zabuza will just _kill_ sensei then come after us! We need to make sure that doesn't happen. We need to protect our charge, _Sasuke_!" Narue snapped, startling Sasuke.

Sasuke looked to their charge, then back to the direction of the battle, then sighed, "I hope you have a plan.." he said, nodding to Narue. Narue suddenly grinned,

"You bet I do! Shikamaru, don't slack off on your duty while we're gone! Let's go, Sasuke!" Narue said, and Sasuke nodded, following her as they began racing back towards the battle, through the thick shrubbery.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head, looking really confused, "Okay, since when did Narue assume the role of our taichou? And since when does Sasuke take orders from Narue, or a girl for that matter?" he asked out loud.

"It is a little confusing.." Tazuna agreed, watching the forest nervously.

"It's not confusing, it's just damn troublesome! What did I do to deserve this? Really!" Shikamaru added, folding his arms and sighing out frustratedly.

* * *

Back at the battle area, Zabuza had released Kakashi once the genin were gone and opted for a one-on-one battle to settle everything. They had matched each other blow for blow, Zabuza seeking to knock down the first domino then head to obliterate the others in a chain reaction of blood-shed, and Kakashi wishing to extinguish the flames before they ignited said chain reaction.

Finally, after disappearing from sight momentarily and flying through the set of handseals, effectively creating another mizubunshin, Zabuza had his clone capture Kakashi from behind, and then he quickly made his way right up to Kakashi, with a kunai at hand. He'd save his cleaving sword for his target.

In the bushes, Haku watched on with an expressionless aura, "_That isn't the true Kakashi.. I wonder if Zabuza-sama notices..?_" he thought, observing quietly.

Zabuza pressed his kunai blade to Kakashi's masked throat, "Any last words, Copy-Ninja Hatake Kakashi?" Zabuza asked darkly, holding a kunai to Kakashi's throat as the silver haired man defiantly struggled against a doppelganger's hold, "Hu hu hu hu. You have no idea how long I've waited for this!" he said, smirking maliciously beneath his bandage-crafted mask.

"I have a feeling you'll be waiting a little bit longer." Kakashi said, disappearing in a swirl of water-logged leaves.

"_Apparently, he did not.. Huh? What are they doing back?_" Haku thought, sensing two chakra signals closing in and concealing his own wisely, shrinking further into the shadows for camoflage.

Kakashi too, hid in the brush, awaiting the perfect chance to attack and endeavouring not to make a sound as he knew Zabuza's hearing must be the keenest of the keen, as needed for his Kirigakure jutsu, the Art of Hiding in the Mist. He had to remain still, quiet, and focused. No unnecessary distractions.

"Kaka-sensei, we're here to help!" Narue suddenly said in a loud whisper, behind Kakashi with Sasuke at her side. Sasuke slapped his forehead quietly, and smacked him over the head,

"Shut up, you idiot..!" he said in a harsh whisper. Kakashi looked at them with an almost bored look, and when he finally had their attention, he put a finger in front of his lips as a gesture for them to actually be quiet. The two twelve year olds instantly quietened down.

"What are you two doing here?" Kakashi asked them quietly.

"We came to help you take care of the eyebrow-less freak." Narue replied simply, "_I wonder when Kaka-sensei got out of the wonder ball..._" she thought, folding her arms.

"I never asked for your help, I told you to get away with our charge. Where is he, and where is Shikamaru?" Kakashi asked.

"He's guarding the bridge-builder a couple of miles away from here. The area seemed pretty quiet so they should be fine. Narue, what's this 'plan' of yours?" Sasuke asked, turning to Narue. Narue opened her mouth to speak, when Zabuza interrupted from his position in the clearing,

"You do know I can hear you guys perfectly, right?" he asked, irritation dripping off his every word. Why didn't he just kill them while they talked? Actually, that might not be such a bad idea, after all, "I'll get the one who hit me over the head, earlier, first." he said, throwing the kunai he had been planning to use of Kakashi, and it hurtled towards Narue, point-blank towards her forehead. Narue's eyes widened considerably in shock, as the dagger dug right into her forehead, and she fell back.

Sasuke paled, "Narue!!" he gasped, beginning over to her, only to sigh irritably as she transformed into a log, "_Kawirimi... warn me next time, you dobe!_" he thought with a groan. He couldn't believe he'd missed the hand seals.

"Looks like someone needs to be taught their lesson again!! Hyaaah!!" Naruto flew at him with a hook kick from the air, only to have Zabuza block it with his left arm, grab onto her ankle and hurl her over his shoulder.

"Looks like you need to be taught a thing or two about respect, brat." Zabuza said, stepping towards the blond leaf-nin with a sneer, his eyes glinting so that he seemed like a demon in human skin, "I am Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist. I've killed countless naive brats like you. One more won't matter to me. Prepare for an early funeral, meddlesome runt--" he was cut off when a barrage of kunai and shuriken pelted him, causing his mizubunshin to liquidise.

Sasuke landed from perpetrating the assault, snorting angrily, "_These clones are getting _really_ old!_" both he and Narue thought frustratedly. Kakashi joined them in the clearing, guiding Sasuke towards Narue like a sheepdog, and quickly standing guard over them.

"I could have handled this easily on my one. Like he said, he's got a record for mass murder, and they weren't villagers, they were ninja. We're in over our head, but I'll try and hold them off while you guys escape." Kakashi said.

"But what about my plan!" Narue protested.

"What exactly was your plan, Narue.." Kakashi asked plainly.

"Hit him with everything I got, kagebunshin style!!" Narue said proudly, grinning.

The mystery man within her head promptly fell over in shock,

_**-Is this girl really my...? Jeez, didn't anyone teach you how to apply proper strategem?-**_

"_What the heck is strategem? And my plan always worked with every other enemy I faced, mister whoever-you-are!!_" Narue thought angrily.

_**-Those were street-thugs, and this is a missing-ninja who has killed countless other ninja!-**_ The mystery man responded and Narue shrunk back from him, mentally.

Kakashi glanced to Narue and Sasuke briefly, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, to which Sasuke jumped in surprise. Not a moment later, Kakashi reappeared, standing on the surface of the lake nearby.

Narue gasped, "How does he do that?" she asked and Sasuke shrugged haplessly, as Zabuza appeared adjacent to Kakashi, a smug smirk hidden beneath his mask.

"I see.. So that's how you want to go about it. Very well, but I won't lose!" Zabuza said, and with that, the two began to fly through a multitude of complicated handseals simultaneously. Landing on the final hand seal, they both yelled out,

"Suiton! Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

Narue fell backwards in shock, watching in awe as two graceful water-composed dragons rose from the lake, circling each other, sizing one another up, constricting one another and then crashing together and falling back into their natural state.

"_He copied and memorised each hand seal flawlessly, in less than a split-second.. Is this the power of the Sharingan..?_" Sasuke thought, amazed.

* * *

Shikamaru looked up, alarmed at the loud crash of waves from within the forest Narue and Sasuke had disappeared into five minutes ago.

"_And already it's getting real bothersome.. What's going on in there?_" Shikamaru thought with anxiety spread across his face.

"What's going on in there..?" Tazuna mirrored Shikamaru's inner question, tipping up his hat with a troubled look on his face, "Sounds like their right in the climax of some sort of battle?" he guessed.

Shikamaru rubbed some sweat from his forehead, "Could be.." he agreed, "_I wonder.. if I were there, would I actually be of any use? I doubt it. What a drag! I feel like a third wheel or something!_" he thought with a frown set on his face.

"_Blasted Copy-nin.. It's as if he's_.." Zabuza began in his thoughts, pitting his hand together in a hand seal for another jutsu.

"Reading your mind? Am I right?" Kakashi asked calmly, replicating the hand seal with his own hands, looking on as Zabuza twitched angrily. Zabuza grunted, and flew through another set of kata,

"You may be able to mimic me like a mindless parakeet, but I'm the genuine article! I'll spare you the pain and put you to sleep right now!" Zabuza yelled, only to have his words copied at the same time. Zabuza twitched again, then paled to see the illusion of himself standing over Kakashi's shoulder, "Damn it!! It can't be?!" Zabuza gasped, as Kakashi performed the jutsu he was preparing before he could himself, and was blown away by the ferocious torrent.

In the trees, Haku gasped behind his mask, "_Zabuza-sama's in trouble..!!_" he thought, standing up on the branch he occupied and disappearing in a gust of wind. Zabuza smashed against a tree, the whiplash stunning him. Kakashi landed in the tree above him, and looked down on him.

"W-what is this? Can you see the future?" Zabuza asked.

By Sasuke, Narue gasped excitedly, "Oh jeez, sensei's awesome!! I wanna learn that jutsu!" she exclaimed, while Sasuke kept his eyes trained on the battle.

"I can. And I foresee.. your death!" Kakashi said, only to nearly fall out of the tree in shock when two senbon flew into Zabuza's neck at break-neck speed, causing the missing-nin to fall over onto his side, seemingly lifeless.

Haku landed on the branch of a tree nearby the one Kakashi occupied, and bowed to the three stunned leaf-nin, "It seems your prediction was true indeed. Please forgive me, but I've been trailing Zabuza for months now. I couldn't let this opportunity slip out of my hands. I hope that you understand." Haku said politely.

"Of course." Kakashi nodded, still numb from the shock.

"I thank you." Haku nodded.

Narue furrowed he brows, "_It's that girl with the ridiculous fashion sense again!_" Narue gasped mentally, still having no clue whether or not it was a girl, but she was pretty sure with that girly voice of 'hers', "HEY!!" Narue yelled out suddenly, and everyone but Zabuza (for obvious reasons) turned to her.

"What is it Narue?" Kakashi asked, jumping out of the tree and checking Zabuza's pulse, "_Definitely dead.. hmm.._" he thought, then turning to Narue.

"I don't get it, sensei! How come it was so difficult for you to one-up this Zabuza guy, and that kid just takes him out like he was nothing?!" Narue asked.

Kakashi sighed, "Sometimes there are people like this. Stronger than me, and younger than you at the same time? Get over it, it's a part of growing up." Kakashi explained.

Haku performed a one-handed hand seal, and disappeared in a flurry of leaves, reappearing by Kakashi,

"Once again, thank you. I'll take it from here." he said, taking Zabuza's body and slinging it over his shoulders with a grunt. And just like that, he once again teleported away in a storm of leaves. Kakashi, Narue and Sasuke were alone in the clearing. After a few moments, Narue spoke up,

"What the heck just happened?" she asked, rubbing her head to soothe an oncoming headache.

Kakashi sighed and began to walk towards them, "Let's just get to the others.." he said, trailing off, "Oh great..!" he muttered, falling over and landing face-first in the dirt, out-cold.

"HUH!? SENSEI?!" gasped Narue, running over to him, Sasuke tagging along, equalling surprised. They knelt by him, looking over him concernedly, and the mystery man dwelling within Narue's cramped mindscape spoke up once again.

_**-It's probably from over-usage of the Sharingan.**__-_

"_Eh? What is Sharingan anyway?_" Narue thought, grabbing one arm while Sasuke grabbed the other.

_**-Ask your Uchiha team-mate or Kakashi. I'm taking a nap.**_-

"Eh!? You can't take a nap on me!! I need more information!" Narue gasped out loud and Sasuke winced at her volume.

"Shut up! Sensei can't hear you anyway!" Sasuke hissed, frustrated and confused.

Narue snorted, "Who says I was talking to you or Kaka-sensei, teme?" she asked quietly and Sasuke shook her head.

"_What's with this girl? I really can't understand these women.._" he thought, going into brood-mode for the rest of the trek back to Shikamaru and Tazuna. After meeting up with them, the five travellers headed towards Tazuna's lake-side home, greeting his daughter on the board-walk before heading inside to rest up.

* * *

"Uggh.. Did you really need to be so coarse, Haku?" Zabuza asked, still unable to move properly, but hunched up against a tree stubbornly nonetheless.

Haku sighed, cleaning off his dirtied senbon with a handkerchief, "I am sorry.." he said, grabbing his mask and pulling it off, revealing his fresh, young, (beautiful) face, with his sincere, clear brown eyes, ".. I shall be more careful next time, Zabuza-sama.." he added earnestly.

Zabuza sighed frustratedly, resting his head on the tree trunk, "I'll beat him next time." he said.

Haku nodded, smiling pleasantly, "Of course." he agreed.

* * *

Who on earth is this mysterious young man using Narue's small and cramped mind as a makeshift bunker? How did he get there? How is it that Narue was so fast to learn the secrets of the chakra kunai? Team 7 may think Zabuza has been dealt with, but as time passes by, things are going to get more and more troublesome! _**Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!**_

* * *

**EDITED**: _16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	11. Ep 10: Let the Training Begin!

**Episode 10 : Let the training begin!**

_**Last time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!**_ Confronted by the demon of the mist Zabuza, their sensei trapped within the water prison jutsu, Narue was introduced face-to-face(more or less) to her in-head councillor, who's face remained obscured in the shadows of the Kyuubi's murky prison room. Whoever it was, was connected to her in some way, but the mystery still remained. Convinced to go back for their sensei, Narue drags Sasuke along to attempt to save Kakashi, only to have their job done for them by the masked kid, Haku. But there's only one problem left after that disaster was averted... Narue thinks Haku is a girl!

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto. Narue is somewhat, partly mine, if you would call it that.

* * *

**-**_**Wake up.**_**-**

A voice entered her mind that morning, and she furrowed her brows. Who on earth could be waking her up so early on in the morning? Whoever they were, were in for trouble. A girl had to have her beauty sleep, and whomever should happen to cut those precious hours short was about to get beaten to a pulp.

"Go away... It's too early." Narue murmured, swatting thin air with her hand, keeping her eyes pursed shut. She rolled over in her sleeping bag which was positioned in between Shikamaru and Sasuke, her team-mates, her hand still stretched out, and let it drop on whosever head she turned to.

"Mmff... Get off, troublesome woman." muttered Shikamaru, brushing her hand off his face.

"You deserve it for waking me up, lazy ass." Narue muttered, opening her azure blue eyes to find herself facing the back of Shikamaru's head.

"Like hell. You're the one who woke me up." Shikamaru grumbled, looking over to her and glaring wearily. He rolled over onto his back and looked to the ceiling above them.

"Serious? It wasn't you?" she asked him, positioning her hand under her head.

"It'd be too much effort for so early on in the morning." Shikamaru told her, and rolled back onto his side, "Disturb me again, and let's just say you don't wanna know the consequences." he said, nodding off once more.

Narue chuckled, "And what exactly do you plan to do to me?" she asked, smirking.

"Like I said. You don't wanna know." Shikamaru repeated.

"Shut up, both of you." grunted Sasuke, sitting up and rubbing his temples, and gazing straight ahead at the door to the room they were all sleeping in. He glanced over to the fourth bed, to Shikamaru's left, where their sensei, Kakashi lay still fast asleep. He'd been asleep three days now. Now that's some exhaustion! "I'm going to get breakfast.." Sasuke muttered, pulling himself up and grabbing his shorts, pulling them on quickly.

He glanced to Narue, to find her not looking for a chance to steal a peek at his legs like other girls would, but instead taking out a marker pen and going over to their sensei.

Sighing, Sasuke began on his way out, hands pocketed like usual.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru looked on with a frown,

"Hey.. Narue, you do know that sensei will kill you once he wakes up?" he asked, "You're so troublesome.." he sighed, nipping his nose and turning away. Narue looked over her shoulder at him, flashing her pearly-whites at him and giggling mischievously,

"Don't be ridiculous. It's been three days, I think it's safe to assume he won't be waking up this morning!" she said in a loud whisper, and slowly moved closer to Kakashi with the black marker. Closer.. closer..

"Idiot.. There's nothing saying he won't this morning." Shikamaru pointed out, "Well, it's not like I care. I'm gonna get some breakfast too, since it'd be pointless trying to get back to sleep now.." he said, getting up and walking out, having kept his clothes on as he slept. Sure he had pyjamas, but his mother had chosen them. Like hell would he let his team-mates see him wearing them.

Narue, now alone, turned back to Kakashi with her marker, only to meet the sharp gaze of Kakashi looking back at her sternly. She yelped, scrambling backwards.

"Narue.. What were you intending to do with that marker?" Kakashi asked her sternly, not budging from his bed. Narue yelped, and made like a tree and left, barrelling through the hallways of Tazuna's home in Wave country, slowing to a stand-still when she arrived at the kitchen, where Tazuna's beautiful daughter Tsunami was serving up breakfast for her son, and guests.

She looked up to Narue with a smile, "Good morning." she said, "You came in, in such a rush. Is there something the matter?" she asked Narue.

"Yeah, Kaka-sensei's awake." Narue replied as Tazuna walked in.

"Oh so he's awake then? I'll take him some breakfast. Tsunami, which is for Kakashi-san?" Tazuna asked his daughter, and Tsunami pointed to one of the bowls of musli; taking the bowl, Tazuna headed past Narue towards the ninjas' room.

Tsunami pulled out a chair, "Come now, you must be hungry." she said and Narue nodded, going over to her table.

"_If that voice waking me up wasn't Shikamaru or Sasuke, who was it.._" Narue wondered to herself, looking disdainfully at the musli in her bowl, "Hey, Tsunami-neesan, do you have any ramen?" she asked the bridge builder's daughter.

Tsunami shook her head, "I'm afraid this is all we could afford today. Sorry." she said and her son glanced at Narue, frowning in a disapproving manner before continuing on with his own musli.

_**-Narue, that's inconsiderate. Just eat the musli, it's good for you.-**_

Narue nearly leapt out of her chair with shock at the abrupt speech within her head which sure as heck wasn't her own voice speaking. She rubbed her head, eyes wide and mouth pursed shut,

"_Um.. Hello? Who's there._" she tried asking mentally.

_**-Don't tell me you forgot about me already?-**_ The voice in her head said, then letting out a sigh.

Narue squinted her eyes shut, remembering three days ago, and the whole trouble with Zabuza and the masked girl, "_Oh yeah. The mystery man who's hanging around in my head... Say, don't you have a name or anything? I mean, you know _my_ name already._" she said in thought-speech.

_**-My name's not important yet, and for that matter, classified information. However, you may call me 'Yon', for now..-**_ the voice replied.

"_That's a crappy name._" Narue pointed out and she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, "Ow!" Narue gasped.

Tsunami came over to her, "What's wrong?" she asked.

Narue looked up to her nervously, "Haha. Nothing, just a migraine! I'll get over it." she lied, "_Damn it what the hell was that for 'Yon'!?_" she yelled inwardly at the pain-in-the-ass in her mind.

_**-You should watch your mouth. Now, apologise to Tsunami-san.-**_ the voice replied.

"_Fine, fine.._" she thought, and turned to Tsunami again, "I'm sorry for asking for something else. It was inconsiderate." Narue said to Tsunami, as Sasuke came in, hands pocketed.

Tsunami smiled, "It's fine." she replied.

Sasuke looked on, a bit surprised though only on the inside, "_Narue's actually apologising? Must be a blue moon._" he thought, furrowing his brows and beginning on his way over to the table. He took a seat opposite to Narue and next to the little kid.

Narue looked to this kid, "Say so who's this kid, anyway?" Narue asked, looking at the little boy through squinted eyes.

"You've been here, three days now. You can't even remember what his name was? Dobe." Sasuke said, shaking his head in disappointment. Narue bristled at the comment,

"Yeah, well Sasuke-teme..! Just shut up! What d'you know!? I bet you can't remember either." Narue said and Sasuke looked away, not wanting to admit he'd ignored the whole introduction of the little boy beside him, two days ago. Narue grinned, "Haha! I was right! Loser!" Narue said happily. Sasuke glared at her.

"This is my son, Inari." Tsunami inputted after a shake of her head, patting her son on the shoulder, "Say hi." she said to him.

"I already said hi, two days ago, kaa-san. It's not my fault if the dumb blonde forgot!" Inari said, then putting a spoonful of musli in his mouth with his eyes closed.

"Inari!" gasped Tsunami.

"You wanna say that again, pipsqueak!?" Narue gasped, shooting to a stand and causing her chair to fall back.

"Calm down, Narue." both the voice in her head, and another familiar one chorused, and Narue looked over to the entrance to the kitchen, to see Tazuna and Shikamaru helping Kakashi to limp in.

"Kaka-sensei!" Narue gasped, "This kid needs to learn his manners! Let me teach 'im!!" Narue said, still annoyed.

"No, Narue," Kakashi said strictly. Tazuna helped him to a seat, and helped him sit also, then wiping sweat from his forehead.

"He wanted to eat with us all, so we brought him in. Tough man." Tazuna commented.

"Troublesome, more like." Shikamaru commented, rubbing his shoulders to ease the strain he'd just been under with a frown. Kakashi ignored this, and grabbed a spoon with his numb fingers attempting to hold it, and took some musli in it. Narue instantly calmed down and watched with interest as the spoon edged closer and closer, only to cry out in annoyance as Kakashi dropped the spoon. They wouldn't be finding out what he looked like today. Her interest had only jinxed it.

"Looks like he hasn't recovered enough strength to lift the utensils, yet." Tsunami said, concern showing in her eyes.

Kakashi's eye arced up into a smiling gesture, "Don't worry about me, Tsunami-san. I'll recover soon enough." he told her, then turned to his students and Tazuna with a serious expression. Tazuna raised a brow,

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Kakashi sighed, sitting back against his seat, "It's just a.. suspicion. Remember the masked kid who 'killed' Zabuza? He wore a mask that the most elite from Kirigakure wear, the Hunter-nin, otherwise known as the 'undertaker squad'. They dispose of the body's of missing-nin so that their secrets can't be unveiled to enemy villages who might come across them. A ninja's corpse tells many secrets. That's why the hunter-nins get rid of that threat by obliterating the remains before others can unfurl the secrets of their village and use it against them... Hmm.." Kakashi hummed, after completing his speech.

"What is it?" Narue asked.

"Well... Usually a hunter-nin would dispose of the corpse, on the spot, but that kid in the mask didn't. And he took the body with him too, so there's no telling what he did with it. That.. and he used senbon needles.." Kakashi began.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows, "So what if he did?" he asked, and thought about it, "Hmm... Well senbon are used by acupuncture artists, but also Kirigakure ninja.. They're not particularily deadly, but so what? You're not seriously implying that... Are you?" he asked Kakashi.

"Right on the ball, as usual Shikamaru." Kakashi nodded and Shikamaru widened his eyes.

"Y-- You're serious, aren't you..." Shikamaru asked. Sasuke glanced from one to the other, then hummed, thinking about it himself.

He then gasped, "No way.." he added on to Shikamaru's comment.

Narue furrowed her brows, "Why would the hunter-nin use something so non-lethal to kill Zabuza? That's kinda stupid." she asked, "_And the dumb girl abandoned me too.. Something's fishy about her.._" she thought to herself.

"Simple Narue.. Because they weren't intended to kill him. They _didn't_ kill Zabuza." Kakashi said seriously and Tazuna paled.

"What do you mean!? You mean to say that that demon is still alive?!" Tazuna asked and Tsunami clamped her hand over her mouth, eyes widened.

Kakashi nodded, his eyes sharp, "That's exactly what I mean." he said and Tazuna sat back in his chair wearily.

"B-But...!" Narue gasped, "NO WAY!! How can that be!?" Narue asked.

"Senbon needles... If they hit the correct spot, they can create a death-like trance that even the most skilled of ninja have trouble picking up on." Kakashi replied, "So in essence, the masked kid didn't kill Zabuza, but rescue him." he concluded.

Narue turned red, "Damn her..! I thought she was a good-guy!" she gasped.

"Her?" Shikamaru repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't bother with the idiot, let her find out on her own." Sasuke answered and Shikamaru sighed, shrugging.

"Sasuke-teme! What's that supposed to mean!?" Narue retorted, glaring heatedly at Sasuke, whom ignored such glares, "_But this way.. It means I get a rematch!! Isn't that awesome, Yon!?_" Narue added inwardly, settling down a little, to which Sasuke raised an eyebrow, he having thought she'd blow up at him and challenge him to a fight or something.

_**-Eh? How is the fact that Zabuza's still alive, 'awesome'? You're missing the fact that this means you're in danger now.-**_ her head-mate, Yon replied.

"_I'm excited because now I get another chance to shine! Last time I wasn't so smooth.. I didn't think it through, right? You said I needed to work on strata-whoosits or whatever it was, so now I can, and I'll kick his pasty butt the next time he comes around!_" Narue explained excitedly.

_**-Seeing the error in your ways, huh. It's about time..! And it's called**_** strategem**_**. So how do you expect to learn to apply such a thing. Zabuza could come barrelling through the wall right now, for all we know.-**_ Yon said.

"_What're the chances of that?_" Narue asked.

_**-Probably the same chances that Kakashi woke up on you this morning of all the mornings, while you were trying to draw on his face.- **_Yon deadpanned. Narue sweat dropped,

"_Yeah, yeah. Sure.. Anyway, I'll ask Shikamaru for some help. He's always playing that strategy game, Shogi, I think._" she answered the given question, shrugging off Yon's sarcasm, and turning to Kakashi just in time to hear what he had planned for them.

"So until I'm fully recovered, I'm going to train you all." Kakashi said, and Narue raised her eyebrow. What kind of 'training' did Kakashi have planned..?

* * *

"So what kind of training to you have planned, sensei?" Shikamaru asked boredly, hands pocketed as he stood in a clearing of a forest of tall trees, Sasuke on his left and Narue on his right. Kakashi stood adjacent to them, standing up using crutches to steady himself. Kakashi cleared his throat with a cough, and spoke up.

"Simple. Tree climbing," he began and glared at Narue to shut up before she could start complaining at his supposedly lame task choice, "Without using your hands." he added.

"Oooh! Much better, sensei!" Narue grinned, "_Now that's a challenge! How the heck are we gonna do that!?_" she thought excitedly.

"And how, pray tell, do you expect us to accomplish that, without using our hands? You expect us to use our chakra, perhaps?" Shikamaru questioned their sensei, taking his arms and folding them across his chest.

Kakashi nodded, "Exactly. Let me explain chakra to you. Chakra, put simply is a combination of the mental and spiritual energies within your body, which is a shinobi's main tool for performing ninjutsu. In effect, all ninja techniques are created by a precise mixture of both mental and spiritual energy, and is focused properly through the use of special handseals." Kakashi explained.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever! I don't get long explanations, but if you show me I'll be able to do it, no problems whatsoever!" Narue said, propping her hands on her hips.

"Narue's right. We don't need further explanations." Sasuke agreed.

"No, she's not." Kakashi deadpanned and Narue yelled out in anger, "None of you know how to apply your chakra properly just yet. Which is why we're going to be climbing the trees without our hands. Well.. you will anyway. But I guess I'll give you a demonstration first. Watch and learn." Kakashi said, performing a hand seal and limping towards a tree. His students were amazed when he scaled the tree using his feet only, and then walked upside down on a tree branch, looking down to them with a smile.

"Woah!! Sweet, how did you do that!?" Narue asked, clenching her fists and looking at him excitedly.

"It's easy.. or difficult, depending on your mastery of chakra control. All you need to do is to focus your chakra to underneath your feet, not too much, not too little, and when you do master your chakra control, well... The possibilities for jutsu are endless!" Kakashi replied.

"Na.. So will this actually improve or skills or what?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes." Kakashi nodded, "In completing this task, you will have learnt how to distribute your chakra wisely. Too much chakra and the tree breaks, aswell as you quickly wearing yourself out, while too little chakra isn't going to get you anywhere. This task is difficult for even the most skilled ninja to complete." Kakashi answered, "So, get to it." Kakashi said, and threw three kunai down to them. Narue dashed back just in time to dodge it, as it had landed a little closer to her than it had for her team-mates.

"What's the kunai for?" Narue asked curiously.

"You use that to mark the highest you can reach without falling off. You'll keep trying untill I say you've gotten high enough." Kakashi answered, and Sasuke and Narue nodded, while Shikamaru's only response was a groan.

"Troublesome..!" Shikamaru said, "_Though, maybe I'll be of more use next time around, if I can do this.. it's still a drag though. Oh well... No backing out now.._" he thought, looking to the kunai at his feet, then picking it up gingerly.

Narue grabbed her own, and put her hands together in the correct hand seal,

"Here I go!" she said, running towards her tree, as Sasuke did the same. Focusing, they dashed up the tree, but after making a mere six steps up, she slipped and fell backwards, "OW! Damnit!" she gasped, and Shikamaru watched her wearily, before hearing a crack and looking up to see Sasuke falling, half way up the tree already, after making a dent in the bark with his foot. He landed gracefully, like expected of him. He was so 'perfect' it made Shikamaru want to hurl.

"Remember," Kakashi said, "Too much or too little isn't right. It needs to be perfect, fine-tuned, and I'm not just being picky here." he finished, glancing off to the side. He then began on his way down the tree. Shikamaru frowned, and decided to give it a shot before he was forced to.

He placed his hands together in the hand seal, and began jogging towards the tree, "_Here goes nothing.._" he thought, and began up the tree.

"Wh-what the hell?" Narue gasped, watching as Shikamaru also scaled the tree.

_**-That boy's a Nara, isn't it? They're taught their family jutsu at a younger age, therefore have more practice in chakra control than most. It's the same for anyone else in the InoShikaChou formations' clans.-**_ said Yon.

"_Grrr! Okay, here I go again!_" Narue thought to herself, and focused, dashing towards the tree once more. Higher, higher, higher...! Suddenly the bark of the tree caved in and Narue fell back, cursing as her foot remained lodged in the tree.

Kakashi sighed, and limped over to her, pulling her out of the tree, "Don't get frustrated. Focus. Not too much, not too little." he explained, putting Narue down, "I'm heading back to Tazuna's house. Come back when it's time for dinner." Kakashi said, limping away and leaving the three rookies alone in the forest.

Sasuke landed on the ground swiftly, and looked back over his shoulder, sighing,

"Shikamaru. You made your way to the second branch. Get down here and try again." he said, gazing up at his lazy team-mate, who sat slouched against the tree on his branch, second from the tallest of his tree, hands behind his head.

"Why should I? I made it to the second off top, that's good enough." Shikamaru said back, and closed his eyes, ready for a nap.

"Hey!! Shikamaru, you lazy jerk! Stop slacking off!!" Narue shouted, "_He's already so much better than I am at chakra control... I can't let him, or Sasuke out-do me if I'm gonna be the first female Hokage!_" she thought angrily, and focused once more, "HAAAAARRRRGHH!!" she ran towards the tree and began belting it up the trunk.

Higher... Higher...! Faster... faster..!

"_What the-?_" Shikamaru thought, opening one eye to see Narue gaining on him, "_Eh!? Since when is Narue so good at chakra control?_" he wondered, only to face-fault when she slipped and ended up hanging off a branch which was fourth from tallest.

"Argh, damnit!" Narue gasped, trying to pull herself onto the tree, wrapping her legs around the branch like a sloth, "Is anybody gonna help me out, here?" she asked, looking around desperately and clawing her finger-nails into the wood. Sasuke walked underneath her branch, arms folded and scowling,

"A true ninja would get down their selves." he told her.

"What he said." Shikamaru agreed, closing his eye again to attempt nodding off.

Narue growled, "You're just saying that 'cause you wanna sleep! You guys are sucky team-ma--AAAH!" Narue gasped, as out of pure coincidence (of course) the tree branch she was hanging from desperately, snapped. It wasn't a very strong branch, how unlucky for our heroine. She plummeted to the ground, and towards Sasuke, whose eyes peeled wide.

* * *

Tsunami looked up from sweeping up on the boardwalk outside her home as Kakashi slowly closed in, waving to her.

She smiled, and nodded, "Kakashi-san. Back so soon? What about your three students?" she asked him.

Kakashi waved his hand, smiling back, "Don't worry about them. I set them a task. They'll be fine on their own..." he trailed off as he a light tremor caused the water surrounding Tazuna's home to sway slightly. Kakashi looked back over his shoulder to the forest, "At least I hope they'll be okay on their own.." he added.

Tsunami put a hand to her mouth gently, "What on earth happened?" she wondered.

"They'll be fine! Perhaps we could have some tea, Tsunami-san, while we wait for them?" Kakashi asked.

Tsunami gasped, and nodded, "Of course. I'll get started on it right away." she agreed, heading inside with her broom, Kakashi following after her.

* * *

Birds flew to the sky, screeching and flapping their wings as a small tremor filled the forest. Shikamaru clung to his tree for support, and looked down to the ground while rubbing the back of his head, which he had hit due to the shock from the sudden loud noise. He gasped,

"Narue! Sasuke!" he shouted, and uneasily made his way down the tree, checking to see if any of his branches were 'faulty'.

_**-Narue!! Are you okay!? Are you hurt, anywhere?**_**-** Yon asked urgently, his voice coming like the dull thud of a headache in her head. Narue groaned into the dirt from her position, clutching to some fabric that was too silken to be her own jacket, her nose tickling from the hair in her face.

"Ugh.. I'm fine. Something broke my fall.." Narue said out-loud.

"Yeah. It was me." came a dead-panned voice and Narue yelled in shock, pulling herself off of Sasuke and scrambling back only to scramble into Shikamaru's legs.

"What happened?!" Shikamaru asked, looking from Narue to Sasuke. Sasuke rubbed his head, and slowly pulled himself up, his back very sore from the collision with the ground. He was surprised he could even sit up now, let alone be conscious.

"The branch she settled on was a lousy one. It snapped under the pressure of her weight." Sasuke said.

Narue glared heatedly at him, "Are you calling me fat!?" she snapped and Sasuke gave her a plain look, mentally asking her to kindly shut the hell up.

"Like I was saying, it snapped under the pressure and she fell." Sasuke finished.

Shikamaru nodded, "And you caught her.." Shikamaru added, Sasuke nodded; Shikamaru let out a weary sigh, sitting back against a tree trunk and wiping sweat from his brow, "Damn it don't scare us like that Narue." he said to his blond team-mate.

Narue gasped, then grinned slyly, pulling herself up shakily, "Didn't know you cared so much about me.." she said teasingly.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Shikamaru said sharply, looking away with a suffering look.

Narue sighed exasperatedly, "Oh! Hey, Shikamaru, I almost forgot. Can you teach me how to play Shogi tonight?" Narue asked Shikamaru and he looked to her with raised eyebrows and slightly widened eyes.

"You," he pointed to her, "Want to play shogi with me?" he asked disbelievingly, pointing to himself.

Narue folded her arms, "Is it so hard to believe?" she said, and pouted.

"Yes, yes it is." Shikamaru agreed.

"Why would you want to--" Sasuke paused to grunt as he hauled himself to his feet, "--play Shogi with him?" he asked with a frown.

Narue glared at him, her cheeks slightly pink, "Maybe I wanna try becoming a better strategist!? You didn't seem to approve of my strategy against that eyebrow-less pasty-face, Zabuza!" Narue retorted.

Sasuke snorted, "You called _that_ a strategy? Whatever. Let's just get on with training. Don't go breaking any more tree-branches Narue." Sasuke said, turning around and beginning towards his practice tree once more, as if nothing had happened. Narue discreetly flipped a finger at him as he went, and she _thought_ it went unnoticed.

"Narue, you're serious about wanting to learn?" Shikamaru asked and Narue turned to him, nodding, her eyes squinted shut with determination.

"Hell yes!" Narue told him, grinning.

Shikamaru nodded, "If you can get a branch higher than last time, I'll teach you what I can after dinner." he said, pointing to Narue's tree, "Like Sasuke said, don't break any more branches." he said plainly.

Narue stuck her tongue out at him, "I'll pretend I didn't hear that!" she said loudly, and focused once more before dashing up the tree, secretly taking their advice to the heart... But only because she knew she'd be getting a lecture from the one named 'Yon', later on and it would be even longer if she didn't.

"Hmmm, hmm, hmm-hmm hmmm.." the gender-mistaken senbon user, Haku hummed as he brewed some tea in the small, musty kitchen of the tree-house where he and Zabuza were hiding out. Since his master was bedridden because of his course techniques, he was doing what he could to ensure Zabuza would make a quick recovery. He glanced to his pot of herbs, and sighed, "I'll need to get some more, tomorrow." he muttered, and took the prepared tea on a tray, heading towards his master's bedroom.

On his way, a missing-nin from mist that worked for Zabuza stopped him, "Haku-san, just to let you know... Gatou-sama is here to see Zabuza-sama." he mentioned to him and Haku nodded.

"Thank you for telling me this." he said, heading towards his master's room with a quicker pace.

* * *

And so, Shikamaru, Sasuke and Narue's training begins with the simple, yet not so simple task of tree-climbing, and as they toil, Haku works to help his master regain strength. Will Team 7 beat Haku to it, and become strong enough to take them on and win? And will Narue be able to master the art of strategy under the "hard task master" Shikamaru? _**Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!**_

* * *

_(_**Narue's POV**_) __**Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!**__ ...That jerk, Yon, he thinks he knows so much better, waking me up in the middle of the night and telling me, 'You've gotta do this if you wanna get stronger', and 'You've gotta stand on water all night if you wanna beat Zabuza and be Hokage'! Well I'm telling you, Uzumaki Narue is having none of that!!_

* * *

**EDITED**: _16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	12. Ep 11: Brains, Beauty and Brawn!

**Chapter 12 - Episode 11: Beauty, Brains and Brawn!**

_**Last time, on Kitsune no Shoujo**_, everything was calming down in preparation for the storm ahead and with Kakashi too worn out to do any real protecting for Tazuna, he instead decided to teach his three Genin the tree-climbing chakra exercise. Though when he left the three of them, things ended up being a little awkward, and Narue decided to ask Shikamaru to teach her how to play Shogi. How will Narue's patience hold up while being educated in this game of wits and strategy? Today on Kitsune no Shoujo, we find out!

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto. My knowledge of Shogi is courtesy of Wikipedia.

* * *

"Okay, are you paying attention Narue?" Shikamaru asked, looking to his so-called student in strategy. Currently, Narue was staring off into space so it was pretty clear to Shikamaru that she wasn't paying any attention whatsoever. How troublesome; "Oi! Narue, you're the one who wanted to learn how to play so at least _look_ as if you're interested."

Narue turned to him, scratching the back of her head,

"Yeah, sorry about that lazy-ass." She nodded, and leaned forward, "So, how does this board game thingy work?" she asked.

Shikamaru heaved a sigh, and began, "Okay, so the basic idea of Shogi is that to win, you need to capture the opposing team's 'King'. This piece here," Shikamaru pointed to his King piece, "You and your opponent alternate in taking turns, with the black team playing first. I am currently 'black', and you are 'white'. You understand?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, I get it. So my white pieces have gotta kick your black pieces' asses!" Narue nodded.

Shikamaru agreed with a grunt, "And take them captive," Shikamaru added, "In each turn you can either move a piece that's already on the board and potentially promote it, or capture an opposing team's piece, or both. If you want, you can also 'drop' a piece that's already been captured onto an empty square of the board. Each game can potentially last 9 hours, at least that's—" Shikamaru was cut off.

"Say what!? Nine hours, are you kidding me!?" Narue burst out, outraged at the length of time.

Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah, nine hours. For this game you need patience, Narue. Something you lack." He answered and Narue growled, folding her arms.

"Okay, so teach me already!" she said impatiently, glaring holes in the board.

"Nn. Okay, like I was saying, it's usually just my games with my dad, or his friend Asuma-san which take that long. Sometimes you can get extra time for the Meijin title match. There's also the byoyomi, the second counting. That means that if ordinary time has run out—"

"And nine hours isn't enough?" Narue cut in, incredulous.

"—No, it isn't. If ordinary time has run out, the player has a certain amount of time to complete every move he makes from then on. If you run out of time, you lose the game. That's that." Shikamaru rubbed his head, "Narue, from now on you've gotta try your best not to interrupt me okay? I know it's hard for you—"

"It's not hard!"

"You just interrupted me there, Narue." Shikamaru said, not amused. Narue just folded her arms, stepping back into thought.

_**-Did you get anything that Shikamaru said to you**_?- Yon asked.

"_Ah... Some of it, I guess. The rest just went out the other end of my ear. Something about Byoyomi and Meijin... And black and white, or something._" Narue thought.

_**-You're hopeless… In a nutshell, you use your pieces to capture the opponent's pieces. It's like using your kagebunshin to take out some of Zabuza's water-clones until you can get at the real one, which in Shogi, will be Shikamaru's 'King' piece.-**_ Yon explained.

"_Oooh! I get it!!_" Narue thought, hitting her palm with a balled-up fist. Yon only sighed.

"I take it you understood. That's good." Shikamaru nodded, "_Better than having to explain it to her all over again. Man, this is such a pain._" He thought, and coughed, "Next I'll explain how you capture an opposing piece. If the piece you seek to capture is in a legal destination for one of your own pieces, it can be captured by removing it from the board and replacing it with one of your own. In other words, it's like a cuckoo bird that removes eggs of other birds from a nest, replacing it with its own. Understand?" Shikamaru asked, looking at Narue from across the board, his hands on his knees as he sat cross-legged.

"Hmm... Yeah, sorta," Narue nodded, "_Why's he talking about birds, now? He doesn't need to use things like birds and eggs to explain it to me. This is pretty straight forward._" she thought to herself.

_**-This coming from the girl that had to be given the example of kagebunshin and mizubunshin, for her to understand?-**_ Yon sighed.

"_Shut up, I'm trying to listen to Shikamaru, here!_" Narue mentally retorted, and snorted in annoyance, "What else, lazy-ass?" she asked Shikamaru, who shrugged.

"You're not allowed to hide the pieces you capture, since they're crucial to the game. Kinda like a fair-fight, you're not allowed to hide your ace in a hole from the opponent incase you have an unfair advantage." Shikamaru added, and began to go through the rest of the rules with Narue.

Sitting by himself, watching them from the patio was Sasuke. He looked vacant, as if he were somewhere far away. Unlike Narue and Shikamaru, he was thinking just a little bit more about the fall during their training than they were, and it annoyed him.

"_It doesn't affect me. I don't care about that blond idiot. I have other things to focus on, and her and Shikamaru don't seem affected by it at all._" Sasuke thought, and glanced at the confused-looking Narue being taught by the apathetic Shikamaru, "_I don't care about anyone or anything other than my goals._" He thought to himself, and nodded, "Humph." He grunted, and got up to get something to drink.

Kakashi stepped out from on the patio, watching Sasuke walk away. His visible eye slid closed into an upward arc, smiling, and he chuckled,

"_Kids…_" he thought, and went over to see how Narue was doing.

* * *

Later that night, Narue was pulling on her light turquoise pyjama bottoms up, almost ready for bed. Batting the elastic waist of her trousers, she began to look around as Shikamaru came in, rubbing the back of his neck and yawning.

"Oi, Shikamaru! Have you seen my night-cap anywhere?" she asked Shikamaru, who looked at her nightwear with raised eyebrows, before shaking his head.

"Nah. Why use a night-cap anyway? It'll just muss your hair." Shikamaru said.

"You're one to talk about hair, pineapple head!" Narue retorted, shaking a fist at him.

"You put it under your pillow." Sasuke said, coming into the room wearing a baggy black shirt that covered some of his thighs as well. Narue blinked, then rummaged under her pillow, triumphantly bringing out her black night-cap in all its ridiculous-looking glory.

"You're right!" Narue said, "Thanks," she said to Sasuke with a cheeky grin.

"… Whatever." Sasuke sighed and said after a short pause, going over to his bed. Narue snorted, and climbed into her bed, as did Shikamaru. They lay in silence, not noticing that Kakashi didn't come to bed either, and pretty soon, they all fell asleep. Not soon after, Narue found somehow she couldn't get to sleep.

Narue scrunched up her face, growling quietly, "_What the hell? Why can't I sleep!?_" Narue thought.

_**-Rise and shine, Narue.-**_ Yon replied calmly.

"_Argh! So it was you!! What do you want!!_" Narue mentally yelled at him, grouchy.

_**-Get up and go to the lake. You have training to do.-**_ Yon answered.

"_At midnight?!_" Narue protested.

_**-Stop complaining and get up. I'm going to teach you an important jutsu.- **_Yon said.

Narue instantly sat up in her bed, "_A jutsu? What kind of jutsu?_" Narue asked excitedly.

_**-An important one. I'll tell you more, once you're dressed and at the lake. Make sure nobody notices you're missing.-**_ Yon said and Narue nodded, getting out of bed as quietly as she could, and sneaking out. Yon then sighed; **-She's not getting changed, is she..?-** he thought.

* * *

On the roof, Kakashi watched calmly as Narue ran across the board-walk excitedly, "_Where does she think she's going? Should I follow her? Hmmm.._" Kakashi thought to himself, "Nah." He whispered, and lay back on the roof to watch the clouds roll by. He briefly wondered if the calming effect it gave was why Shikamaru enjoyed watching them so much. Then, he looked behind him slightly, "So you heard her leave, hm?" he asked Sasuke, who sat nearby.

"I was already awake. _She_ didn't notice that _I_ was gone." Sasuke answered.

"Want to talk?" Kakashi asked again, and Sasuke glared at him, "Okay, okay. You're choice." He shrugged, and turned away from Sasuke.

"There's nothing to talk about." Sasuke said, frowning.

"Sure there isn't." Kakashi shrugged, smiling to himself, "_Kids… Honestly. Was I like that?_" he thought to himself, thinking back to the time he was Sasuke's age.

* * *

Meanwhile, due to her excitement, Narue was already half-way to the lake when Yon stopped her.

_**-Narue, stop here.-**_ said Yon and Narue skidded to a halt.

"What?" Narue asked, looking around. She was in the forest from her training session earlier on with Shikamaru and Sasuke, trees encircling her. She was dwarfed by their breathtaking heights.

_**-Before we begin on your technique, you have to scale one of the trees around you using the technique you used earlier on today.-**_ Yon said.

"Eh? Doesn't it make more sense to conserve my chakra for whatever it is you're gonna teach me?" Narue asked, furrowing her brows and squinting her eyes shut.

_**-True in most cases. However, I want to test the lengths of your stamina.-**_ Yon answered. Narue hummed, mulling it over for a moment, before nodding and turning to a tree, ready to start.

"But wait! I don't have a kunai with me." Narue said and was greeted with silence for an answer, "Oh fine! It's not like I need it, it's just holding me back." Narue snorted, and ran towards the tree with her hands together in a hand seal.

And so, the preliminary stages of her training began that night. Dashing up the tree several times and crash landing at the bottom several more, Narue stuck at it for hours on end, though cursing all the way. Yon watched on calmly through the same eyes as she, smiling thoughtfully to himself.

**-She reminds me a lot of Obito... so full of spirit. I wonder if Kakashi thinks the same...-** Yon thought.

"Haha... I-I-I made it..! What do you say to that, Yon-sensei!?" Narue asked, clinging for dear life at the top of a slightly-swaying pine tree, her fingers digging into the bark and panting like a dog.

Yon nodded, _**-You look exhausted.-**_ he pointed out bluntly.

"_Ha!! It'll take a lot more than this to take me out!_" Narue replied mentally.

_**-Good. Now climb back down, and head for the lake if you're feeling so cocky. We'll begin on the actual training session, now.-**_ Yon said and Narue unconsciously gulped. After wandering wearily towards the lake, she finally arrived and bent over to let out a harsh breath.

She then stood up straight, and cracked her knuckles, "_So what're you gonna teach me, Yon-sensei...?_" she asked in a loud whisper, sweat dribbling down her face. Her blond hair was plastered against her cheeks with her own sweat.

_**-The water-walking technique.-**_ Yon answered.

Narue creased her eyebrows, "_Sounds cool!_" Narue nodded enthusiastically.

_**-Oh, it **_**is**_** cool… If you can master it, that is. The water-walking technique applies similar techniques to the ones you used for tree-climbing today. Only this time, instead of applying a set amount of chakra to your feet, the flow must be continuous. You see, in the tree-climbing technique there's a steady surface beneath your feet which you can apply your chakra to, whereas with water the surface is always changing so you need to think fast and be able to adjust your chakra control.-**_ Yon explained.

"A continuous flow of chakra, to my feet?" Narue mumbled, and at hearing Yon answer 'yes', Narue grinned, "Okay! I can do that! It'll be no problem for the future Hokage." Narue said, and ran towards the water with chakra flowing to her feet quickly.

**-Future Hokage, huh…? I wonder where that came from. Heh.-** Yon thought to himself, then he slapped his forehead as Narue fell into the water, having not applied her chakra evenly enough. **-Perhaps I should have left it at making her master the tree-climbing technique...-** he thought with a sigh.

"Argh, damnit!" Narue yelped, coming to the surface and swimming to the shore. She pulled herself over, and spat out a mouthful of water, "I'm not gonna give up." She muttered, and stood up, preparing her chakra once more.

* * *

Shikamaru woke up, pulling himself into a sitting position with a huge yawn, stretching his arms up then patting his mouth lightly out of reflex. Rubbing his eyes, he turned to his left to check up on Narue and Sasuke, only to find Sasuke packing up a few kunai in his satchel, and Narue not even in the room. Shikamaru quickly glanced over to see if Kakashi was in bed and sighed seeing that he was inevitably the last to wake up. It's not like he cared if he was, though.

"Hey, where's Narue? Usually she's last up." Shikamaru asked Sasuke.

Sasuke was silent a moment, closing his satchel and attaching it to his belt, before glancing at the pineapple haired boy,

"She went out training last night at midnight. She's still doing that." Sasuke said, and stood up from his crouching position leaving a bewildered looking Shikamaru sitting beneath his sleeping bag sheets.

"Seriously...?!" Shikamaru asked, pulling his covers off his legs and getting up slightly.

"Seriously." Sasuke nodded, "I'm going to drag her stupid ass back here, if she's still alive that is. Then I'm going training. You should too." Sasuke said, and left the room.

Shikamaru wearily brought a hand to his head,

"_Troublesome... Everyone's working hard and I'm snoozing the whole time. Even Narue's working hard! I know this is how I've always been, but if I don't start now, how am I going to fair should Zabuza come back?_" Shikamaru thought. He went over to his bag, and began digging through it, finally producing two kunai knives.

* * *

"Hey… Wake up." a voice said, pulling Narue out of her dream world. Narue groaned, the sun blazing in her eyes. She brought a hand up to protect her eyes, and a shadowed body came over her. "Are you alright?" the person asked, as Narue focused her eyes. Narue gasped.

"_What a pretty girl…_" she thought, looking up to the brunette with kind, chocolate brown eyes, and long hair that hung freely. 'She' wore a pink yukata, and had a straw basket near 'her'. "Um… Who are you?" Narue asked and Haku only smiled.

Little did Narue know that despite his feminine appearance, Haku was most definitely not female. Haku never did mind about the mistakes made about his gender. He'd gotten used to it.

"I should be asking you the same thing. What were you doing, sleeping beside the lake? You could have rolled over and fallen in." Haku asked.

"Heheh! Training!" Narue said, a bit embarrassed that she'd passed out from chakra exhaustion like that.

Haku blinked, "_If she was training that hard… Has she improved enough to stand up to Zabuza-sama? I highly doubt it, but…_" Haku thought, and smiled to Narue again, "Ah… So.. Are you a kunoichi? You're wearing that head-band." he said, looking to the head-band around Narue's head. Out of her excitement, Narue had only managed to bring her forehead protector but forgotten to change out of her pyjamas.

"Do I really look like one?" Narue asked.

"Of course. I know a ninja when I see one. We don't get many around here, though. Since the land of waves doesn't have a ninja village." Haku replied.

"Really? Then I'll protect everyone here, since nobody else can. I'll especially protect _you_, since I owe you for saving me." Narue said, grinning at the 'girl'.

Haku laughed lightly, "I'm honoured." He nodded, "_I'm not the one who needs protecting. You should focus on your charge._" He thought pointedly, looking Narue right in the eye. "I should be going. I have to finish collecting these herbs." He said, getting up and picking up his basket of herbs.

"Ah! Want some help?" Narue asked.

Haku looked over his shoulder to her, surprised, "Help?" he asked and Narue hopped up to her feet.

"Yeah! I'm an excellent weed puller!" Narue said proudly, pointing to herself.

Haku shook his head, "Herbs aren't weeds. They're used for medicines. But I suppose I could use some help. Thank you very much." Haku bowed his head politely. Narue nodded happily, and pulled herself up, scrambling after Haku.

"Uzumaki Narue, at your service!" Narue said happily to Haku, who laughed quietly.

Haku took her to an opening filled with different herbs that grew there in the wild, and the two sat down beginning to collect herbs. As Haku mutely tugged the herbs from their roots and put them in his basket, Narue found her eyes fixated on those long, slender fingers. Slowly, Narue looked to her calloused fingers that plucked the herbs from the ground indiscriminately (whether they were herbs, or just plain weeds), and sighed quietly. She glanced once more at Haku's hands.

"_She has really nice hands... If she were a kunoichi, she'd be amazing with projectiles... like senbon._" she thought, and frowned to herself, "_Senbon... like the masked kid used._" she thought, then shook it off as a useless link. There was no way that this gentle woman could be the same as that mysterious kid, no matter the fact that they were both as quiet and polite as one another.

"You keep staring at my hands." Haku pointed out lightly and Narue's eyes snapped to Haku's face.

She blushed, "Ah, sorry! Sorry! It's just that your fingers, they're so slender... You'd be a great kunoichi!" Narue said to Haku, who feigned surprise.

"Oh really? You flatter me, Kunoichi-san." said Haku and Narue laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. They continued to collect herbs for another few minutes, until Haku spoke up with an unexpected question, "Do you... have special people?" Haku asked her and Narue looked at him again, surprised and confused.

"Eh...?" Narue asked, tilting her head to the side.

Haku murmured a laugh, putting a hand to his lips, "I'm sorry.. It's just that I thought the reason you'd be out here so early was to train. Usually you train so that you can protect those that you truly care about, right? So I was wondering if there was anyone who was special to you." Haku said, and sighed, "When you fight to protect a special person, you will become as strong as you have to be. That's what I believe." Haku said softly, and Narue stared at her.

"_I was actually training to rub it in Sasuke's face that I got stronger than him... But... This girl is making a lot of sense._" thought Narue. Narue then grinned widely, "Yeah! My team-mates and sensei, and Iruka-sensei too! Them, and everyone in my village! 'cause I'm gonna be the first ever female Hokage, just you wait and see!" Narue said loudly, and laughed.

Haku smiled in return, "I see. That's quite a promise." he said, and nodded, "You _will_ become strong. I know it... But now I have to go," Haku said, getting up and taking his basket with him.

Narue gasped, and scrambled to her feet, "But will I see you again...?" Narue asked him.

Haku stared at her, then nodded solemnly, feigning a smile, "You will." he said, and turned on his way, "_I know we'll see each other again... but when we do, it won't be as friends. I'm so sorry._" he thought, beginning on his way. He paused, "Oh, and by the way... I'm a boy." he said, not looking back over his shoulder. With that, he went on his way again while Narue let her jaw hang loose.

She took a step back, then wobbled and collapsed backwards onto her bottom, eyes wide,

"No way... Seriously?! I thought for sure..." Narue mumbled, "_The world is indeed an amazing thing... But then if he's a boy, it'd probably seem weird that I had been staring at him. Oh god.._" Narue thought, as Sasuke found her. Sasuke let her stay blind to his presence a moment longer, raising his eyebrows as he inspected her flushed cheeks.

"_I wonder what that boy said to shock her so much?_" he thought, and hit Narue over the head, "Oi, Narue, stop daydreaming. You need to head back to at least get a late breakfast and sleep some." said Sasuke, while Narue nursed her head sorely.

"Ow! What was that for, Sasuke-teme?!" Narue snapped, looking up at him with a scowl.

Sasuke smirked, "For sneaking out to train without me. Don't go thinking that because you did, you'll be better than me." he said.

Narue growled at him, and then she smirked, "You have no idea how strong I got Sasuke! I'll kick your ass anytime now!" she said cockily, and Sasuke merely grunted, grabbing her by her pyjama collar and pulling her towards Tazuna's house.

* * *

"You gave us quite a scare, Narue. What on earth were you doing out there?" Kakashi asked pleasantly as Sasuke carried Narue inside, piggy-back style. She had collapsed half the way back and Sasuke had begrudgingly picked her up.

"She was training, supposedly. More tree-climbing, then water walking as she said." Sasuke answered and Kakashi widened his eyes; Sasuke turned to Narue, "Are you ready to get off my back and stand on your own yet?" he asked, and without waiting for her to answer he dumped her on the wooden floor. Narue yelled her usual 'bastard' retort at him.

"_Water walking... But how would she know how to do that? I haven't taught her, and I don't think Iruka did back at the academy. Only high-calibre chuunin and jounin know how to do that; it's rare that a genin does._" he thought, and narrowed his eyes, "_Narue... Is Kyuubi's presence..? No it __couldn't be.. could it?_" he thought some more, then realised it was only going to give him a migraine.

"Well, now that you're here, you can have breakfast!" Tsunami said cheerily and Kakashi nodded.

"Since Shikamaru scaled the tree yesterday, he'll protect Tazuna today. Sasuke, you continue to train, and Narue, you sleep-" he was cut off by said blond.

"No way, no way! I'm fine! I'll eat, then I'll go with Sasuke-teme to wipe the floor with him at tree-climbing!!" Narue said.

"You've mastered the tree-climbing technique?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yeah!! Heheh." Narue said proudly, grinning foxily.

"Then you'll rest, and join Shikamaru." Kakashi said, and Narue whined.

"Actually, sensei, can Narue please train with me today?" Sasuke asked suddenly, and everyone looked to him surprise. The surprise being especially evident in Narue.

"Haha! Can't wait for me to kick your ass Sasuke?!" she laughed.

"You wish." Sasuke said to Narue.

Kakashi sighed, "_Fine_. Sasuke and Narue will train, and Shikamaru will act as Tazuna's body guard as he goes shopping and works." he recounted the roles with a nod, "For now, breakfast." Kakashi added, and everyone nodded in agreement. With that, breakfast was in session.

* * *

"Hahahaha!! See!? See?! I told you I'd wipe the floor with you!!" Narue said obnoxiously, hanging upside down from the highest branch of the tree she had scaled, but five minutes into the training session with Sasuke. Sasuke rested at the bottom of his tree, looking up to Narue and panting lightly. His eyes stretched to their limits.

"_What the...! How the hell did she get so good at this in one night..?!_" he wondered breathlessly, as Narue began to slide recklessly down her tree again, shaving greenery off the branches as she did. When she eventually made it to the ground, and shakily stumbled towards Sasuke with a light pant of her own, Sasuke just stared at her, "How did you-?" he asked.

"-Do it?" Narue finished his question, and laughed loudly, "I trained like heck!! See, now I'm better than you. What do you say to that!?" Narue asked. Silence.

A breeze fluttered by, scattering leaves to the skies. Sasuke's coal black eyes looked right into Narue's azure blue eyes, and then his cheeks flushed as he averted his eyes quickly.

"Tell me how you did it.." he mumbled and Narue widened her eyes.

"Um... What? Sasuke?" Narue asked, raising her eyebrows.

"How did you... get so.." he trailed off, and sighed, ".. strong?" he finished his sentence in a louder voice. Narue gasped, her cheeks barely beginning to stain pink.

And then she grinned like a maniac, "Heheheh! I told you, Sasuke," she said more girlishly than usual, "Because I'm awesome!!" she said.

"When did you say that?" Sasuke asked, frowning at her.

Narue snorted, "I always say it, loser!" she retorted.

"You're the one who's a loser." Sasuke replied.

"Sasuke, you bastard!!" Narue snapped at him, clenching her fists at him, "I'm gonna kick your ass!" she exclaimed.

"I'd like to see you try." Sasuke smirked, and looked away again. "_But honestly.. How _did_ you get so strong.. stronger than I am? It doesn't make sense. I don't _understand_ you, Narue._" Sasuke thought.

_...And what scares me is... That I actually want to get to know you, Narue._

_What makes you the way you are?_

That night, while Tazuna's family, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Narue slumbered, Sasuke trained until he couldn't train any more. Falling asleep in the forest, he again asked himself why he was so interested in everything that Narue was.

* * *

The next morning, Narue lay in her sleeping bag, looking to the ceiling. Last night, after the display of little Inari's flared temper and his proclamation that she was not a hero, Tazuna had sadly told them about what happened to Inari's dad. While Narue sorta understood what Inari was going through, she was still miffed about the whole 'you're not a hero so why the hell are you trying so damn hard to seem like one' argument between she and the toddler. As far as she was concerned, Inari was a coward, just like a lot of the people here. If they'd just stand up to this old fart Gatou, then they would have the right to lecture her about heroism and the like. But still, she understood the pain it was to know that they had no father to look up to, or to be given a pat on the back from. She understood all too well.

Narue sighed, and sat up and stretched her arms into the air, yawning with her mouth stretched open to its limits. Patting her lips absent-mindedly, Narue looked around to either side of her for her team-mates. No Sasuke. No Shikamaru, either. Kakashi was also up. Narue sighed, and got out of bed, getting ready.

On her way to the kitchen table she bumped into Tsunami, who seemed concerned.

"What's up, Tsunami-neesan?" Narue asked her, yawning again.

Tsunami hummed, "Well, your team-mate... He didn't come home last night. I'm wondering if he's alright." she answered honestly.

Narue raised her eyebrows, "Sasuke didn't come home??" she asked incredulously.

At the breakfast table, Kakashi waved his hand dismissively and smiled, "No need to worry about him, Narue, he's a tough boy." he said good-naturedly.

Narue flushed, "I'm not worried about that jerk!!" Narue gasped.

"Suuuure you're not." Shikamaru drawled, stirring his porridge with his spoon disinterestedly. He didn't like porridge, since his mother made him eat it every morning and she put _way_ too much sugar in it, permanently turning him off the breakfast meal. But it wasn't like anybody cared about Shikamaru's home life, or his troublesome mom; Which is why it was left to mere narration, and never discussed out loud.

"I'm not!! Shikamaru!" Narue insisted, glaring at the pineapple head boy. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Narue eyed the door nervously, her eyes squinted shut, "I'm gonna go drag his ass back here, since he did it to me yesterday." she said, marching outside without her sandals, then rushing in to claim them and leaving again.

"It seems they're both in denial." Kakashi laughed and Shikamaru sighed wearily.

"What are you talking about?" Tazuna scratched his head, at a loss for what was going on amongst the leaf ninja.

"Well, once Narue retrieves Sasuke... We'll all head out to work as Tazuna-san's bodyguards. I've recovered enough to do so." Kakashi said confidently, and Tazuna beamed.

"Brilliant!" he said.

* * *

"Haku, are you ready to go?" Zabuza asked, as he and Haku sat in a boat that swayed and rocked in the water, mist floating around them. In between the two on the floor of the boat, a radio emitted a buzzing sound of a voice, it belonging to Gatou. "Do get rid of that pesky noise, Haku." Zabuza added.

Haku nodded, plucking the radio from its spot and dropping it over the side of the boat without a word,

"I am ready, Zabuza-sama." he answered his master.

"Then we'll head out now." Zabuza said, and the two disappeared from the boat with a small gust of wind. Leaving the boat to wobble and shake under the sudden movement. The mist got thicker.

* * *

With a heck of a lot of training from her two substitute sensei, Shikamaru and 'Yon', Narue managed to vastly improve her skills, surprising even Kakashi, the _actual sensei_. Confident with her newly honed skills, she, Shikamaru, Kakashi and Sasuke prepare for their first full-team bodyguard-ing session with Tazuna. But what awaits them at the bridge?

_(_**Narue's POV**_) __**Next time on Kitsune no Shoujo!**__... Hey, woah, woah a second here! So, so this masked kid was working for __Zabuza__!? (Shikamaru: I thought Kakashi-sensei already explained that...) Shut up lazy-ass! This is a serious situation here! If we don't focus like crazy then Zabuza and the masked girl will slaughter Tazuna-san and that won't be pretty! (Sasuke: I'll attack first.) NO WAY, I WANNA PIECE OF THE TURTLENECK LADY!! Here I go!! (Haku: Very well... Narue...)_

**

* * *

****EDITED**: _16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	13. Ep 12: Battle At The Bridge!

**Chapter 13 - Episode 12 : The Battle At The Bridge**

_**Last time on Kitsune no Shoujo,**_ Narue trained 'till she couldn't train anymore, and then trained some more! Learning from her two unofficial sensei in strategy and stamina, Shikamaru and Yon, Narue made a vast improvement. Hidden feelings brewed closer to the surface between our protagonist and her snobbish rival, Sasuke, and that wasn't the only thing that was brewing ahead. What's happening at the bridge that concerns a newly recovered Zabuza, and his accomplice, Haku? This time on Kitsune no Shoujo, the mist gets thicker but the truth becomes clearer!

**Disclaimer **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Team 7 and Tazuna walked through the streets of the Land of Waves' market. It was packed with people, the walls lined with buskers playing traditional instruments or performing risky shows for whatever amount of pocket change they could coax out of passers-through. Those who weren't busking gave suspicious looks to the better-dressed (in comparison) Konoha ninja. Shikamaru winced at a particularily chilly stare he got from a one-eyed man, and dodged an oncoming bulky-looking man who brushed past Narue, nearly knocking her over.

"HEY! Watch where you're going, you jerk!" Narue snapped, turning around.

Shikamaru tsked, and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her away from the man, "Don't get involved with him Narue. You'll only end up getting... squashed.. or something troublesome like that. And I don't feel like peeling you off the ground today." he said to Narue, and then fall backwards after bumping into someone equally huge, but huge for a different reason.

"Uh!? Watch where you're walking, brat." a woman's voice said, and Shikamaru gazed up the woman. Narue looked too for a moment, then looked to Shikamaru, and gasped; She slapped him over the head.

"Her face is up there, quit staring at her breasts you-- perverted lazy-ass!" Narue shrieked at him.

Shikamaru rubbed his head, "Who's perverted?" he asked her.

They then looked up to the blond woman before them, whose hair was tied into two pig-tails. She wore a green jacket over a beige and dark-cyan shirt which held her huge breasts, and a pair of black trousers, and sandals. With her was a young woman with short, black hair and onyx eyes, who wore a black yukata with white trims. She carried in her arms, a piglet with a red jacket and green beads on.

"Like I _said_, watch it, brat." the busty blond said again, "C'mon Shizune. This place is already dead." she said to the dark-haired woman, and the two women (and one piglet) walked away from Shikamaru and Narue. A vein in Narue's forehead pulsed,

"Who does that woman think she is!? The queen of Shiva?" she asked. Shikamaru sighed and looked around,

"Oh great, now we're separated from the rest of them. Narue, get up! We'll need to... run." he said, getting up and pulling Narue with him. Narue stumbled onto his shoulder, and steadied herself.

"Right!!" and with that, the two began to run to catch up with the others; Shikamaru knew the way, having body-guarded Tazuna the day before. He also knew that the reason for the people of the Land of Waves' behaviour was that Gatou had stripped the land bare for his own troublesome, greedy needs. Guys like that made Shikamaru sick.

* * *

"Wh-what the hell?" Shikamaru breathed, halting suddenly as they neared the rest of the team on the in-construction bridge. Kakashi knelt down by one of the many scattered men, who were all gravely injured and barely conscious. He tapped the man's shoulder,

"What happened?" he asked him. The man choked a cough,

"A.. A demon..!" he wheezed. Narue dragged Shikamaru towards the others,

"Wh-what the hell happened to these guys?!" Narue asked, looking from one mutilated body to another with a grimace.

Kakashi hummed, "A demon, huh." he said stoically, as the mist began to roll in, and a sinister laughter filled the air. Narue looked around edgily, while Shikamaru glanced from one side to another.

"_Damn... This is it.._" Shikamaru thought, furrowing his brows as he watched Sasuke shuffle closer to the unsuspecting Narue who was looking around curiously like a cat would. Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at Sasuke's advance, "_We're probably being attacked by that freak Zabuza, and Sasuke's only interest is in if he can make himself look good in front of Narue? Is he forgetting Tazuna-san? And since when does he care about what Narue thinks of him? Jeez._" he guessed, getting in front of Tazuna and looking around again.

"Well, well, well... Zabuza, you sound like you're feeling better." Kakashi said, also slipping into a protective position near Tazuna, his kunai out. The laughter came again, and the mist thinned slightly to reveal Zabuza and Haku in its wake. Narue widened her eyes, recognising Haku as the strange turtle-necked lady she'd met almost a week ago, on her way up here.

"Much better... Kakashi." Zabuza said coldly. Narue stepped up,

"That masked lady!!" she pointed to Haku, who didn't flinch. He was used to this mistake.

Sasuke grunted, "Narue.. That's a guy." he said, tired of this stupid game. Narue really should be able to differentiate between genders, even if the face is hidden. After all, would Narue mistake _Sasuke_ for a girl if he walked up to her wearing a mask? It really had to stop.

"No way, Sasuke! There's no way any _sane_ guy would wear a turtleneck collar like that! Any girl for that matter! Actually, maybe Ino would..." Narue trailed off, "Anyway, this lady has no sense of fashion! And she's working for _Zabuza_!? She's gonna get her ass kicked by yours truly." Narue said, running ahead of them.

Kakashi grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, "Now's not the time to be so hasty. Everyone, _manji_ formation." he ordered to them.

"What!? But that fashion disaster is just waiting for me to teach her a lesson- Mmff!" Narue was cut off by Sasuke, who put a hand over her mouth and dragged her into the swastika-shaped formation. Narue eventually begrudgingly agreed, taking out her kunai knife.

_**-Use the chakra knife.**__-_ Yon suddenly said and Narue blinked.

"_Where've you been? And why should I!?_" Narue asked mentally.

_**-Sleeping-**_ Yon winced as Narue mentally repeated his words with a screeching tone, _-__**Yes, sleeping. Talking you exhausts my chakra, and I talked to you a **_**lot**_** recently.-**_ he explained.

"_What, so you've been camping out in my mind for _how long_?! How'd you get in there anyway? Are you like my conscience or something?! Because I'm pretty sure that a girl's conscience should be female and you're _totally_ a guy, I'm sure!!_" Narue thought suspiciously.

_**-Yes, I'm obviously a guy. And no, I am not your conscience although sometimes I feel like I'm acting as one...**_- Yon paused to sigh, _**-Like I said, get out the chakra knife that Jiraiya-sensei gave you, and try to land a blow on the masked boy. I'll explain what to do next, when you do.**_- He added.

"_Is this another one of your 'important techniques' and will this one actually hurt them?_" Narue asked him.

_**-Yes, and yes.-**_ Yon answered bluntly.

"_Okay!!_" Narue agreed, "Wait a second, did Yon just call that perverted creep his sensei..?" Narue muttered under her breath. Shikamaru turned his head to her from his position,

"Narue, you troublesome woman! Pay attention to what's-!" Shikamaru cut himself off as multiple Zabuza appeared around them, shocking everyone, but mostly Narue seen as though she had been so out-of-it. Kakashi glanced around at the clones,

"Mizubunshin.." he confirmed, and Sasuke raised his kunai.

"May I?" Sasuke asked, and Kakashi blinked at him.

Zabuza snorted, "Ah? This is the wimp I would have killed last time, huh. Had it not been for that irritating snot with blond hair landing on, and dispelling my clone. Does this puny kid really think he's improved enough to defeat ten, when he failed against one?" he asked with a sneer.

"Don't underestimate him." Kakashi said, and Sasuke took this as code for an affirmative. He drew in a breath, and took off. Within a split second, the water-clones had been vanquished and Sasuke returned to his spot, smirking as he did. Narue looked around, surprised,

"_Eh? When'd he get so fast!? I thought I was ahead of him...!_" she thought, irritated. Yon shook his head. Narue had to be kidding; She didn't know who the Uchiha were, and what they were famous as?

"Sasuke... his full name is Uchiha Sasuke." Kakashi said, smiling as Zabuza widened his eyes, before settling down.

"Ah I see... So he's the last remaining survivor of that pitiful clan, eh?" Zabuza asked and Narue glanced at Sasuke.

"_What does he mean by 'last remaining survivor'?_" she wondered to herself, before shaking her head, "Never mind that, enough small talk! I get the one with the turtleneck!! Pasty face is all Kaka-sensei and Sasuke-teme's." Narue announced decisively, and ran towards Haku.

Shikamaru reached out after her, "What the hell do you think you're-- Sensei?" Shikamaru blinked when Kakashi raised his arm to stop Shikamaru from pursuing his team-mate.

"Let her. I want to see just how much her training has improved her skills." Kakashi said calmly, and Shikamaru just thought he was nuts. As Narue rushed towards Haku, Zabuza chortled,

"This brat's in for a rude awakening if she thinks she stands a chance against Haku. Haku, you know what I expect. Quick, and _painful_." Zabuza nodded to Haku, who agreed and got into position hastily.

Shikamaru could only look on, his eyes wide with anticipation, "_This guy in the mask is _no joke_; Narue is going to get mutilated if she's not extra careful!_" he though, and glanced at Kakashi and Sasuke, "_Kakashi-sensei is out of his mind if he thinks Narue can handle him alone. And why isn't Sasuke helping out anyway?! That ignorant jerk!_" he thought.

Narue reached Haku, and with a drawn-out yell she lunged at him with the three-pronged kunai, but missing her target. Haku jumped gracefully back, and looked to Narue who ran for him again heedless of her failed first-shot.

"_That kunai knife... it's laced with Chakra, so it's not the usual type. But how does it work? Is there an hidden technique behind it?_" he thought, and dodged another strike for his lungs, "_Either way, I suppose I don't have to worry about it. Narue has no idea what she's doing. It's like she's fighting blind-folded._" he thought, and brought out a senbon to parry a blow.

"Ah, it seems I have the upper hand." Haku said. Narue snorted, blowing up her fringe,

"What do you mean? I've got you right where I want you." she said with a frown. Haku shook his head, and brought up his free hand to form a hand seal,

"I think I am the one who has you right where I want you." Haku said grimly, and Narue widened her eyes, "Since I've parried this blow you can't attack me. And then, there's all this water splashed around us. And you only have one hand left to parry _my_ attacks... _Thousand stinging needles of death!_" Haku said, and stomped the ground with one of his feet.

And with that, the water began to rise from the ground. Narue's eyes darted from right to left,

"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry, Narue-san." Haku said, and the water became projectiles, "It's time we said goodbye." he added, and the water-needles shot towards them. Narue widened her eyes even more, then smirked. The needles hit the ground they stood on, and Haku dashed back to avoid damage. "_I wonder why she smirked like that._" Haku thought, then gasped as he noticed. Narue wasn't there.

"Haha! This is where _I_ have you where _I_ want you!" Narue said, slashing at Haku's back. Haku dashed out of the way barely, and Narue's kunai struck his right arm lightly. A few droplets of blood were left behind in the air, and patted down on the ground. Narue leaned over herself, huffing for air and looking at the chakra kunai in her hands. It had a thin trace of blood smeared on it, tainting the previously clear steel.

"Damnit! I only scratched her!" she yelled in frustration and brought her free hand up to scrub the back of her head.

_**-You're missing the point. That's good.**__-_ Yon said.

"_And it's good, _how" Narue questioned her 'conscience' angrily.

_**-The chakra kunai has a special seal, which allows you to teleport yourself instantly to the destination of the enemy you have placed the seal on. This seal is recognised in the form of blood. It also works sometimes in the case of picturing an image of your enemy, or ally in your mind very clearly. But it works to its maximum potential when used with blood.-**_ Yon explained. (A/N: I don't think this is entirely accurate, but let's ignore that. The plot works, this way.) Narue gasped,

"_Really!? Oh my god, that's so cool!! So that turtleneck girl would be like 'come and get me if you can' and I'd-- I'd be like 'yeah how's this?' and I'd be right behind her and I'd slit her throat?! Haha, that'd be so awesome!!"_ Narue thought excitedly.

**-And here I thought girls these days were against causing so much blood-shed. At least, from what I've seen of Narue's classmates... Ah well. I guess it's a good thing.**- Yon thought, and nodded, -_**Yes, I suppose that's an option. But save it for later, when you need to use the technique most.-**_ Yon said.

"_Why wait, when I could do it right now?_" Narue questioned, outwardly pouting.

-_**Because... Do you even know how to activate the seal?**__-_ Yon asked and Narue sweatdropped.

"_Uhh.. I use my instincts?_" she tried.

-_**No.**__- _Yon gave a direct, blunt answer, and Narue flopped her head over.

"Narue, you idiot!! Get out of the way!!"

Narue was suddenly pushed over, and she skidded backwards slightly from the harsh tackle. She grunted, and looked up again in time to see Shikamaru standing in front of her with his hands together in the seal for his shadow possession technique, a serious expression on his face.

"Shi- Shikamaru?!" Narue stuttered out, shocked.

"Che! Your daydreaming will be the end of you, Narue. You're fighting the guy who took Zabuza out of commission for a week using needles, for kami-sama's sake. Try to take it seriously." Shikamaru said, and Narue just gaped.

Zabuza chuckled, "It seems you're not as fast as you needed to be Haku. Pitiful, getting captured like that." Zabuza said, cracking his neck and loosening his muscles, "I'll take care of this bothersome hindrance." he said, and in a flash, he arrived by them, ramming his elbow into the side of Shikamaru's head, knocking him off his feet.

"GAGH!"

"Shikamaru!!" Narue shouted, getting to her feet and preparing for battle. Zabuza snorted, and turned towards Narue to attack, only to be parried by Kakashi.

"Zabuza... I believe this was a one-on-one fight. I apologise for my other student stepping in like this, but now that you've removed him, I think I'll remove _you_?" asked Kakashi, and Zabuza chuckled.

"I _have_ been waiting for a rematch." he agreed, and the two jounin level ninja dashed out of the way to begin their own fight.

Haku stared at Narue through his mask, "Shall we start over, where we left off?" he asked, "_She's better than I thought. I guess training herself until she succumbed to chakra exhaustion worked, though I wonder how she recovered so quickly... Hmmm.. She's interesting._" his ghost-of-a-smile was hidden beneath his traditional white and red mask.

Narue stared at Haku, then nodded with a serious look, "Yeah!" she said, and ran towards Haku with a yell.

Sasuke ran towards the unconscious Shikamaru and dragged him off to the side. Propping Shikamaru up against the barricades of the bridge, Sasuke looked over to see Narue once again swiping at Haku repetitively, hoping to get a shot in, and Haku masterfully dodging each one. It didn't even look like he was breaking a sweat.

"_Narue won't be able to keep that up for long... if she doesn't have a plan other than trying to cut the masked boy with that weird knife then I'm going to have to come up with a battle plan _for_ her._" he thought, and began to assess Haku, seeing if he could find any weaknesses to strike at. Haku was graceful, fast, and he knew what he was doing. It was like he'd fought like this a thousand times, and with much stronger opponents than Narue. It was as if he was _playing_ with Narue.

Sasuke frowned.

* * *

The tap in the bathroom of Tazuna's house switched on, and Inari put his hands under the running water, a frown set on his face. After he'd gotten a good yelling at from Narue, he'd run out on them. Later on, Narue's sensei Kakashi had joined him on the boardwalk, and had talked to him about Narue's behaviour.

_"You know, Narue's a bit aggressive but she wasn't trying to be mean. She just... lacks the finesse that most have." Kakashi had paused to let the words sink in on Inari, who sat hugging his legs with a pout, "Tazuna-san told us about what happened to your father. Narue also grew up alone, without a mother or a father. She doesn't remember any of them, nor does she have a single friend." he explained and Inari gasped. _

_"What? Is that true?" Inari asked._

_Kakashi nodded, and leaned back, thinking for a moment, "And in all the time I've known her, she hasn't cried once, or made any excuses. She always laughs things off with a smile, and does her very best so that someone will compliment her. That's her dream, to be respected a little, and she'll risk her life to get that respect. I think that maybe she got tired of crying, one day." Kakashi said._

_"Hm.." Inari frowned, and hugged his legs tighter._

_"She understands what it means to be strong. Just like your father did. Actually, Narue probably understands you better than I do... And she can't leave you alone, because you've gotten under her skin." Kakashi began to smile. Inari stared at the Jounin with wide-eyes,_

_"Just like my father... I wonder if I can be as brave as my father... and Narue._" Inari thought, and switched off the tap, moving to dry his hands. Humming as he did, he was interrupted when a loud crashing noise came from their kitchen. Inari immediately ran towards the kitchen, where his mother was.

"MOM!!" Inari cried, and gasped as he saw the two intimidating men in their kitchen. The kitchen table had been snapped in half and tossed aside, and Tsunami had been cornered by the two tall men with swords. One, shirtless, had stitches all over, probably from having cut himself when fighting, and had an eye patch over one eye. The other painted arrows underneath his eyes, and wore a hat over his silver hair. He wore a baggy coat which looked like it was durable against both enemies and weather conditions.

Tsunami turned to Inari anxiously, "INARI! RUN AWAY! DON'T COME IN!!" she screamed at him, cold sweat running down her face.

The two swordsmen regarded one another, and then the taller, scarred man spoke, "Should we take him, too?" he asked his partner.

"We only need one hostage." the shorter one replied. Inari flinched at the word 'hostage', and shrieked mutely as the taller one took out his blade and drew it.

Tsunami shouted at them, "WAIT! Touch my son and I'll commit suicide. Then what will you do for a hostage?!" Tsunami announced bravely, and the two swordsmen stared at her.

The taller swordsman put away his sword, "Lucky brat. You should thank your Ma'." he said with a grumble. Inari could only watch as they tied up his mother and took her away.

He hugged his knees, and hid himself, "_Mom, I'm s-sorry! I'm weak.. I-I just can't do it!_" he shivered.

_-You wimp!! You think it's alright to just act like a victim and let everyone fuss over you and pity you? Grow up!!-_

Inari gasped, "_Narue..._" he thought, remembering back to what Kakashi had told him about last night, "_Can I be as brave as Narue and my Dad?? Y-Yes!_" Inari stood up and clenched his fists, "_YES I CAN!!_" he nodded, and ran out after his mother and the two swordsmen.

"W-Wait!!" Inari yelped, confronting them. The two swordsmen turned to him and stared, "Let go of my Mom right now or you're in trouble!!" Inari shouted at the men, "_Narue, I'm gonna show you just how brave I can be!!_" he thought, and began running towards them again, roaring best he could in attempts to show them he meant business.

"INARI, NO!!" Tsunami screamed, as the two swordsmen drew their swords in preparation. But suddenly, they stopped, and fell to the ground. Tsunami looked at the two swordsmen in confusion, and was anticipating a trick as Inari came to her and glomped her legs, sobbing. "What happened to them?" Tsunami wondered.

"M-Mom!" Inari said to his mother, looking up to her with relief, "I-I'm glad you're okay..!" he said and Tsunami managed a smile.

She bent down by her son best she could with her arms tied behind her back, and smiled to him, "Inari... you were so strong back there! But don't you ever do that again, young man!" she said to him, and Inari blushed and mumbled an apology. Tsunami looked to the two unconscious swordsmen, and noticed small needles in the back of their necks. She raised her eyebrows.

"Let me get those ropes." said a woman's voice and Tsunami and Inari turned to her in shock. It was the dark haired woman with the piglet that Narue had met in the market. She had a kind smile. "I took care of those two. You needn't worry about them waking up too soon, I put enough anaesthetic in those needles to knock out a bull." she said, and began to untie Tsunami.

"Thank you so much... Are you a doctor?" Tsunami questioned curiously, feeling a little breathless.

The woman smiled, "Sort of. I'm a medic-nin," she replied, "I sent for some jounin from a nearby village to pick up these guys. They've got a bounty over their heads for murder and vandalisation, as well as for working under someone such as Gatou." she said.

"Gatou!?" Tsunami asked.

"Yes. They said hostage, so it probably has something to do with the battle going on at the bridge." the woman said, and her piglet companion whined in agreement.

Tsunami gasped, and Inari shivered, "Wh-what!? The bridge my father is working on?!" Tsunami asked worriedly.

"They have the copy-nin, Hatake Kakashi, there. So I wouldn't worry. He's one of Konoha's best." the woman said, and got up, "I have to go. But perhaps it would be a good idea to assemble the villagers to aid the leaf ninja at the bridge." she said suggestively, and disappeared in a flash.

Tsunami watched the empty spot where the woman had been standing, then shakily got up, "Come on, Inari. Let's go." she said, taking Inari with her as they climbed over the swordsmen's bodies.

* * *

The busty blond sat on a boat with the jacket-wearing piglet on her lap, with a bottle of Sake in her hand. She leaned her head back, letting a portion of the alcoholic beverage slip down her throat, before she spotted her dark-haired companion running to catch up with her.

"Tsunade-sama! I'm sorry I am late." the dark haired woman bowed to her sensei, who gave her a side-way glance.

"What were you doing?" Tsunade, one of the three legendary sannin questioned her disciple. Her disciple, whose name was Shizune, let her eyes dart around nervously before resting on Tsunade again.

"There was something I forgot to take care of. Shall we leave now?" she asked Tsunade. Tsunade knew Shizune was telling the truth... sort of. She just wasn't telling the whole truth. Oh well, it wasn't like Tsunade cared, so long as she wasn't spotted by ninjas from her home-town. She would surely be confronted and asked to come back, if they had seen her or Shizune, knowing their connections to one another.

"Yeah, we're leaving. Here, hold Tonton." Tsunade handed Tonton to Shizune as she boarded the boat, and in a few minutes, they pushed off the shores towards main-land from the island village.

* * *

They were surrounded. Surrounded by countless Haku clones! As well as a bunch of ice-like mirrors. Narue growled under her breath, scowling as she pressed her back against Sasuke's. Who the hell did Sasuke think he was, butting in like that in the middle of her fight, saying it was "for the best" that he assist her?! She was doing just fine without his help!! ...Okay, so maybe she'd gotten thrown back a few times by Haku's grace and surprising strength, but what_ever_! Sasuke thought he was all that and a bag of chips just because he'd managed to take out some stinking water-clones... in a nanosecond... okay, so he was good-- But so what! The fact that Sasuke didn't trust her to be able to take Haku out herself was what irritated Narue.

Narue could do this. She'd show Sasuke that she could and then he'd be eating his words. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she showed her stuff; He'd be gaping like a fish out of water.

"_Hahaha! Alright, time to show 'im!!_" Narue thought with a crazed grin. In the back of her head, Yon shook his head at her lack of ability to miss the most important things. She should be doing this because she wanted to protect her charge, Tazuna, not so she could strip Sasuke of his ego; although he did need the ego-stripping very badly.

Narue's eyes flashed from left, to right, to left. She studied each and every of Haku's reflection-like clones within what their opponent had called his 'crystal ice mirrors'. One of them was real, and the others were a pale impression of the original. It was tough to determine which was the real-deal and Narue considered the strategy of shogi, the process of elimination. But that'd be a waste of perfectly good chakra. She needed to make sure she got the real Haku on her first shot if she wanted to win.

She studied each clone again, and then growled in frustration.

This wasn't getting her _anywhere_!

"Psst! Sasuke-teme!" she whispered to Sasuke over her shoulder. Sasuke was also examining each clone closely; it seemed he had the same idea as Narue.

"What?" Sasuke asked back in a hushed tone.

"Can _you_ tell which is the real Haku?" Narue asked. Sasuke looked back to where he was looking,

"Not a clue. But I have a plan to find out which one is the real one, if you'll cooperate with me, dobe." Sasuke replied.

"Don't call me 'dobe'!" Narue nearly shrieked.

"I'll stop calling you 'dobe' when you stop calling me 'teme'." Sasuke fired back, calm as ever and studying the clones still with deep concentration.

"Not gonna happen." Narue huffed.

"Same here, then. Okay, dobe, I want you to create some of your kagebunshin, and-"

"Why?" Narue asked him, looking confused.

"Like Shikamaru told you a few days ago, learn not to interrupt people when they're talking." Sasuke glared lightly at Narue over his shoulder and Narue stuck out her tongue at him; Sasuke rolled his eyes and leaned in to whisper his plans into her ear.

Narue nodded vigorously,

"Okay!!" she said, not bothering to whisper it and as Sasuke cleaned out his ear with his pinky, a tired look on his face, Narue put her hands together in a hand-seal, "Kagebunshin no jutsu!!" she said, and two clones joined her side. She nodded to both of them and they nodded in return, and with that, Narue and her two clones leapt towards the mirrors with kunai at hand, yelling out a battle-cry. Haku came out of his mirrors, jumping from one to one as quick as lightning. Sasuke looked around desperately, and nodded.

He quickly went through a sequence of complicated handseals, and sucked in a breath,

"Goukakyuu no jutsu!!" he yelled, as the fire spurted from his mouth towards Haku as he passed, and Narue fell back, her two clones dissipated. The fire of Sasuke's jutsu caught on Narue's arm and she yelped and put her singed hand in a nearby puddle. Narue looked over her shoulder to Sasuke, who panted lightly, looking frustrated,

"What the hell, Teme!! You nearly fried me!!" she yelled at him. Sasuke glanced at Narue, then back at the mirrors.

"_I missed... huh. But that doesn't mean I'm done yet._" Sasuke thought to himself, and smirked.

In his mirrors, Haku stared at the two, "Not a bad plan, but you can't hope to match up to my speed with the level you are at. Not ever." Haku said to them solemnly.

Narue growled loudly, "Yeah, well you'll see!! We'll get you, and we'll kick your ass, lady! Don't get cocky!" Narue spat at Haku.

Sasuke glanced at Narue, "_You're the one who's too cocky, dobe..._" he thought with a sigh, then turned to the mirrors surrounding them, "Yeah, don't count us out yet. We'll find a way to defeat you, pretty soon." Sasuke agreed with Narue, who cracked her knuckles, grinning excitedly at the situation.

* * *

And so, now it's just Sasuke and Narue versus Haku... how will they fair in trying to defeat the graceful mist-nin rogue who Narue is still in denial of the gender of? What was Tsunade, one of the legendary three, doing in the land of waves? And will Inari and his mom be able to round up the villagers in time to be of assistance at the bridge? Some of these answers may well be answered in the next chapter!

* * *

**Omake?**

Shikamaru slowly opened his eyes to the dull grey skies above him, groaning as he shielded his eyes for no reason. After all, it wasn't exactly sunny. Tazuna's silhouette blocked the dull lighting, and the old bridge-builder tsked as he pulled Shikamaru into a sitting position.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked, blinking as he tried to remember what happened. Last thing he knew, he was using his shadow-possession technique on the masked kid, Haku and something hit him, then he was being dragged somewhere.

"You're the worst bodyguard ever! Instead of being the only one left to protect me you head in to battle only to get knocked out in less than a minute of your fight? It seems more like_ I'm_ protecting _you_ right now." Tazuna said, looking over his shoulder to watch as Zabuza and Kakashi clashed blades.

"Eh?" Shikamaru blinked again, "Troublesome." Shikamaru grumbled, rubbing his head.

**-Omake End-**

* * *

_(_**Narue POV**_) **Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo**! Graaaah! Sasuke-teme! This so-called "plan" of yours isn't getting us anywhere! What now, genius!? (Sasuke: Dobe, I've almost got him now! Just go one more time!) No way, hosey! I'm gonna use my secret weapon, now!! (Sasuke: Secret weapon...??) HAAAAARRRRGGGH!! (Haku: This isn't good... I've got to finish this now!) Wh-WHA?! S-Sasuke..!! (Sasuke: Ugh... what am I doing??)_

* * *

**EDITED**: _16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	14. Ep 13: The Eye of the Storm

**Chapter 14 – Episode 13: Eye of the Storm!**

_**Last time on **__**Kitsune no Shoujo**_, Narue and the gang arrived on Tazuna's bridge only to find his co-workers scattered across the floor in critical condition. There was only one person so ruthless that crossed their silver-haired sensei's mind. Momochi Zabuza! The Battle on the Bridge began; Haku versus Narue, Zabuza versus Kakashi. Shikamaru and Sasuke aren't going to stand by and let their precious female team-mate take on the graceful Haku by herself, but only Sasuke was able to stand by her unwilling side as they faced off against Haku's crystal-ice mirrors. They're going to need a plan to be able to take out this rogue-nin and Sasuke's plan isn't going to cut it according to Narue. Because Narue has something better in mind; More on that today, on Kitsune no Shoujo!!

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"_Why am I here again?_" Shikamaru was questioning his whole significance in this arc, asides from the part when he was teaching Narue to play Shogi. Well, sure, he'd saved Narue a little while back from being crushed by the masked kid when she was daydreaming, but he'd gotten knocked out straight away. And then he was unconscious for the whole time when he could have been protecting Tazuna. What kind of body guard was he? A lousy one, as Tazuna had commented.

"What a drag..." Shikamaru muttered, watching from his spot in front of Tazuna as Kakashi parried another blow from the shirtless mist-nin, one of his eyes spinning red. Shikamaru wondered what the heck was up with his eye, but decided it wasn't his business anyways.

Just like it wasn't anyone's business if he decided to sleep through boring lectures back at the academy. He knew everything on the curriculum anyway.

But getting back to things that were important... He glanced towards the barrier made of ice-composed mirrors where Narue and Sasuke were trapped. He wished he could be of some use there. It seemed like Haku was just playing with them, jumping from mirror to mirror. Maybe he could have used his Shadow Possession technique to freeze Haku in his tracks, but he doubted he could make his shadow keep up with Haku's shadow. Thus, he was stumped.

Kakashi must've noticed Shikamaru's "stumped" state, as he turned to him.

"Shikamaru!! I've got everything covered here. You take Tazuna-san away somewhere safe until this is over. I'll call you back when it's safe!" Kakashi ordered Shikamaru, surprising the lazy genius.

"Eh? Okay." He said, "C'mon old man." Shikamaru began directing Tazuna away quickly. Zabuza threw Kakashi back with a grunt, and gave chase to the two,

"Don't think you're getting away that easy, kid." Zabuza drawled, closing in. Shikamaru paused, turning around to brace himself in front of Tazuna. But before Zabuza could attack, Kakashi jumped in once again, blocking Zabuza's strike. "You're annoying me, copy-nin." He grumbled.

"So sorry," Kakashi said nonchalantly, "Go, Shikamaru! Now!" he called to Shikamaru, who nodded, and escorted Tazuna away quickly.

* * *

In the ice-mirrors, Narue and Sasuke were carrying out the Uchiha's plan. Thus far, the two had contradicting feelings on whether or not the plan was working. On Sasuke's part, he really liked how this was turning out. With Narue's unbelievable stamina, they could keep going and going while Sasuke observed, trying to predict Haku's patterns. He was beginning to get the hang of it, and with his Fireball technique, he was sure to burn Haku after a few turns.

Narue, on the other hand, didn't like being used as a test-dummy. She was not a dummy. And because Sasuke obviously viewed her as one, she had decided she was not going to stand for getting her ass kicked for him.

She stood up, "This isn't getting us anywhere Sasuke!! What the hell were you thinking when you made this plan?" she shouted at him, pointing at a random mirror.

Narue looked sorta like a blonde porcupine right now. With needles sticking out everywhere when that sadistic masked girl kept hitting her with a barrage of the stuff. It really hurt. Seriously!

Sasuke sighed, "Come on, Narue. Show a little back-bone. I've almost got the hang of his pattern. Just a few more times and I'll get him for sure." Sasuke said.

"Like hell I'm gonna do that again! I'm not stupid, you know!" Narue said and Sasuke raised his eyebrows at her, "Don't give me that look, you cocky bastard!" she screeched at him.

"Ugh..." Sasuke sighed. He really didn't want to have to put up with this.

"It's no use. Whatever you're thinking, I'm always one step ahead. You'll never be able to predict my movements." Haku said in a monotone voice.

"Hah! That's what you think." Sasuke snorted, "Narue, please, just one more time. I can do this, so trust your team-mate." Sasuke said quietly, looking Narue in the eye. Narue stared at him, her mouth agape.

"_Is... Is Sasuke actually begging me? Begging me to help him?? Heheh, he must think I'm awesome, that I'm the only one that can pull this off... I don't blame him! I _do_ rock!!_" Narue suddenly grinned, feeling boastful. "Ha! Well, when you put it like that! Okay!! Here goes! One more time - Kagebunshin no Jutsu!!" Narue said loudly, and smoke exploded from her person, before three Narue's joined her once again.

"Haaaaaaaaaaah!!" Narue leapt towards Haku again, her clones flanking her. Haku prepared himself, and then jumped from mirror to mirror again as he had done the multitude of other times Narue had tried this. Sasuke watched on, his eyes focusing sharply.

"_Focus... focusfocus... Come on, Sasuke, you can do this! Focus!!_" Sasuke coached himself on a few times, as he widened his eyes some more. From the depths of his onyx irises, red smoke-like colour grew from the darkness, "_FOCUS!!_" Sasuke grunted, gritting his teeth, and with that, his eyes flashed to a red hue, two tomoe appearing in one eye, and a third tomoe in his other.

Sasuke widened his eyes in awe at his new sight capacities, and he spotted Haku dashing across the air. "_Yes!!_" he smirked, and formed some hand seals, "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!!" he yelled, sucking in his breath and blowing out.

The fireball went barrelling right towards Haku, and he gasped, forcing himself out of the line of fire quickly, and ending up going towards Narue who was falling back from his attack. He rammed his elbow into the back of her head, causing her to cry out.

This all happened in a mere three seconds. Sasuke hung over himself to recover from the chakra usage's whiplash, then looked up again, panting. Haku stood in his mirrors again, but this time, he was not unscathed. His trouser leg was noticeably singed. Sasuke smirked.

"_One more shot and I've got him for sure._" He agreed with himself, and turned to call Narue again, "Narue—" he caught himself when he saw her.

She lay on the floor, limp, with her eyes jammed shut with a wince and breathing shallowly. Needles were poking out of tonnes of places and she was covered in scratches. Sasuke rushed over and began de-quilling her, and upon closer inspection he noticed a bump on her head.

"—The dobe just had to go and get herself knocked out!" Sasuke hissed, and cursed under his breath.

"Well, that's one down, and one to go. I shall be able to assist Zabuza-sama after this." Haku said, raising a senbon, "_I hope I didn't hit her too hard... No, there's nothing to worry about. That amount of force would merely knock her out._" He thought to himself, and nodded.

Sasuke turned to face Haku again, a glare in his Sharingan eyes.

"_The copy-wheel eye...?! This could get ugly. I have to end this now!_" Haku thought, and began to attack.

_Inside Narue's mind, she had already confronted Yon, who had rather abruptly pulled her in there when she'd knocked her head. He'd said it was the perfect chance to bring her in as they would only think she was unconscious, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She wanted to kick some more butt, goddamnit!!_

_She now stood before Yon, who was standing a little closer to the light than usual. His face was still overshadowed though. Bummer. At least now she knew that this head-mate of hers was a blonde. Perhaps he was a relative of Ino's using that stupid invading-personal(mind)-space technique of theirs to get blackmail from her for later usage against her._

_How dare he!!_

_Narue grunted angrily, "Why the heck did you bring me in here, now Yon-teme!?" Narue yelled at the blonde, supposed-Yamanaka._

_**-I called you in here because it's time to use the chakra knife, and I needed to explain to you in person how to put it to use.-**__ Yon explained and Narue widened her eyes._

"_Are you serious?! All right! That's more like it!! Time to slit her- his- whatever's throat!" Narue cheered._

_**-You can celebrate when you actually know how to. And killing's not the best thing ever I'll have you know. Only do it when it's necessary to get a mission done... Like now. Now get over here and bring the chakra knife with you.-**__ Yon said and Narue nodded, taking out the kunai and skipping towards the tall, blonde mysterious guy. __**–Okay, pay attention because I only have time to tell you it once. This is how you apply the chakra knife's seal technique...-**__ Yon began with his explanation and Narue listened keenly. Perhaps the most attention she's ever given to a lesson. Yon thanked the gods that Narue was feeling studious._

_Three minutes of last-minute-information-cramming later, Narue had a headache. She held her head,_

"_Okay, okay so wait a second. This Hiraishin no Jutsu is starting to sound a heck of a lot like the technique our Yondaime Hokage used. What's up with that?" Narue asked Yon, who didn't say anything; "Hey! Yon-sensei I asked you a question!!" Narue growled._

_**-...I'll explain that more later, Narue. You know how to do this right?-**__ Yon asked her quickly._

"_Err... Yeah! It's all up here- ttebayo!" Narue grinned and pointed to her forehead protector(which was in front of her brain). _

_Yon nodded,_ _**-Good, 'cause I'm sending you back now, bye-bye!-**__ he said, quickly shoving the protesting Narue out of the mindscape realm. Yon sighed out deeply,__** -I'm not ready to tell her **__**yet... Does that make me a coward? After all... I left her alone all this time. I know I couldn't help it, but I really am the worst.-**__ Yon sighed, running his fingers through his blond mane._

_A huge pair of feral, red eyes slid open within the cage behind Yon, and a wave of putrid stench blew past Yon as it spoke, _'_**If you're having pointless second thoughts now, you shouldn't have tried sealing me away in the first place, brainless human.' **__A booming voice echoed behind Yon, causing him to whirl around with wide eyes._

_**-Why are you speaking? You're supposed to be in a deep slumber!!-**__ Yon gasped, _**-Could I have applied the seal incorrectly?! No, but I made sure it was done correctly! If it had been off, the shinigami wouldn't have appeared and I wouldn't be stuck in here...!-**_ he thought._

'_**Cease your incessant babbling, hairless ape. I still despise you with my every fibre for trapping me inside this worthless brat of yours. She isn't worthy of my power.'**_

_Yon ignored him and began forming handseals, __**-I'm going to re-do the seal right now. It will have its consequences but at least this way you won't influence Narue.-**_

_The demon merely chortled, __**'It's far too late for that, don't you think? Come now... The hairless runt is already having murderous thoughts. Take a look for yourself, if you don't believe me.' **__It said, and Yon turned to focus his mind on seeing what Narue saw. And he saw nothing but red._

* * *

"Sasuke!!" Narue had woken up to a shocking sight. In front of her, parrying a particularily deadly barrage of needles stood her team-mate, who looked worn out. Sasuke coughed hoarsely, and blood pattered to the ground. He shakily glanced over his shoulder to Narue with a forced smirk.

"Of all the times to wake up, you choose now? Dobe, you're a bit late." Sasuke said.

"What—You protected me!? Why the hell did you do that, Sasuke! Idiot!!" Narue shouted at Sasuke.

Sasuke coughed again, and sighed, "How am I supposed to know? My body went on its own, you idiot..." Sasuke said, panting lightly, "_Why did I do that? If Haku hadn't noticed the idiot sleep-talking about some technique then I'd have had the perfect chance to take him out Ugh... This hurts. Damnit_" he thought as he felt his body fell back landing in Narue's arms.

"Sasuke!?" Narue asked, shocked.

"I never thought this'd be the way it'd happen... Damn. I thought for sure I could survive for long enough... to be able to defeat him... my brother. Heh." Sasuke's dull black irises slid over to Narue and he stared at her, "But Narue... don't you dare... I don't want you to die, too." He said, and closed his eyes.

"SASUKE!! Sasuke, you idiot quit joking around! I'm supposed to be the prankster not you! Wake the hell up!!" Narue shouted at Sasuke's quickly relaxing body. Narue choked back a lump in her throat, and scrunched her eyes shut, "Damn it, you can't die either Sasuke!! Stop it right now." She said, and she choked a sob as Sasuke's body went limp in her arms. She hung her torso over him as her body shivered.

Haku watched from the mirrors. After a few minutes, he spoke up, "He died honourably. He died saving your life. He'll go to a better place, Narue-san." Haku told her, and she looked up to him with a glare. Her eyes were no longer blue. "_R-Red eyes?? What..?_" Haku thought, and raised his 

senbon again, "_That chakra... This isn't good. I've got to finish this now!_" he thought, and leapt out of the mirrors to attack Narue.

Narue got up from her position beneath Sasuke, and clenched her fists as Haku closed in on her. She glared at the oncoming Haku, "**I'll never forgive you...!**" she snarled, her teeth sharpening.

_**-Narue! Stop it! Get a hold of yourself, it's going to be fine! Sasuke is—**_

"**Because of you he's dead, you bastard!!**" Narue ignored Yon's desperate calls, and took out the chakra kunai, holding it in front of her face as Haku came. She parried his blow and growled in an animalistic fashion, before letting out a yell and sending Haku back from the wave of chakra. He barrelled straight through one of his mirrors, shattering it to pieces. Haku skidded backwards a few feet, staggering into the barricades at the edge of the bridge.

"_That chakra... There's no way I can stand up to this..._" he thought, as a crack split across his mask. Narue dashed towards him, still furious.

Half of his mask fell to the floor.

"**Raaaaaaaggghhh--!**" Narue charged.

"_Zabuza-sama..._" a single tear rolled down Haku's cheek, "_...I am sorry I could not live up to your expectations but Narue truly has gotten stronger. Far too strong for me._" He thought, and blinked as Narue skidded to a halt at the last minute.

"**What t**he-!?" Narue gasped, trying to stop herself as she slipped out of her enraged state and halt her oncoming fist. It was in vain, as the chakra already applied to her fist rippled off, knocking Haku over the side of the bridge. Narue leant over the barricades to grab him.

* * *

A young woman around the age of 20, clad in black with a crimson red sash around her waist, dashed across the water with ease, her arms hanging back as she leaned over in a more aerodynamic fashion. She sped across the surface of the water like a bullet, leaving waves crashing behind her. Flanking her were four chuunin level ninja. Around her head, and the other four's heads, were forehead protectors bearing two cloud-like shapes in the centre.

"We're almost there, men. Report to your assigned points and keep yourselves as hidden as possible!" the blonde woman barked and the four chuunin nodded with grunts. "Okay... NOW!" she said and the three chuunin disappeared in a flash.

She leapt gracefully into a tree and leaned against the trunk as she adjusted her forehead protector, then tending to has weapons pouch around her waist. Running her slender fingers through her blonde hair, which was tied into a long braid at the back, her cat-like irises flickered over to her target just ahead, who had apparently not noticed her. At all.

She took out her radio and quietly whispered into it, "Assigned target, shipping magnate Gatou is detected. He's being flanked by an army of thugs, around 200 I'd guess. But they're nothing special... Be ready to incapacitate as many of the thugs as you can and I'll be with you in a moment to wipe out the rest. Over," said the woman, and there was an affirmative for her team's reply.

She took in a deep breath, "You owe me one, Shizune." She whispered, and began with her part of the mission.

Gatou, along with an army of bodyguards at his side, walked along a path. He looked pretty smug, and he was on his way towards the bridge. He had spotted the shroud of mist covering it and guessed that Zabuza was in the middle of taking care of the little thorn in his side, Tazuna. He had decided he was impatient and it was taking far too long, so he would go and watch him 

exterminate the pesky bridge builder himself, and if the demon of the mist wasn't all he was cracked up to be he'd use his army of hired street thugs to get rid of his employee, and kill Tazuna while he was at it. Thugs were cheaper than rogue ninja after all. It was like killing two birds with one stone.

Suddenly, three of the 200 thugs fell to the ground, shocking those around him. Not a second later, twelve more fell. Then another thirty toppled over. The remaining thugs began to panic as more of their fellow men fell like flies to the swatter. Gatou turned around to ask what all the fuss was about, and wheezed in a gasp.

"Wh-what in the name of heavens is—Come out, whoever you are!!" Gatou commanded, and yelped as another thirty fell. Fifty remained. "Are... Are you a demon?!" Gatou guessed, shivering.

"How perceptive you are, Gatou-san." Came a feminine sneer from the air surrounding them, "As a matter of fact-" twenty more fell, and in the clearing landed the blond commander of the four chuunin, in a crouching cat-like position. She licked her finger-nails, coated in blood, and smirked at the remaining thugs, "-I have been called a demon, too many times to count." She said.

"Wh-who are you?!" Gatou staggered back.

"You don't need to know that." The woman stood, and gave the thugs a look that asked them 'want to try taking me on'. The thugs yelped, and retreated, only to be stopped when the four chuunin landed in their way.

"Any why don't I? I command you to answer me!!" Gatou spat.

The woman stalked from left to right before him, licking her lips, "Persistent old man, aren't you? You don't need to know, because you're about to kick the bucket anyway. We've been hired to get rid of you. You're like a plague to this land, Gatou-san." She said.

"Ha! You? Kill me? I-I'd like to see you try!" Gatou yelled.

"Big mistake," The woman said, and in an instant Gatou yelped and fell back, blood spurting from his slit throat, "My name... Is Yugito, of Kumogakure," the woman named Yugito belatedly answered Gatou.

"Good job, Yugito-taichou. Shall we head back to Kumo' with these thugs?" asked one of the chuunin, holding one of the thugs by his collar as the others cowered under another chuunin's genjutsu.

Yugito sighed, "Nah, leave them be. We need to head to the bridge to complete the extra credit part of our mission." She said, waving her hand dismissively, "They're not worth it anyway. Lowly thugs." She added and the chuunin nodded.

"HAI!" they said, and all five of them disappeared in a flash again.

* * *

Narue grunted, her teeth clenched tightly together as she desperately clung to Haku's arm, who wasn't making any effort to grab her in return. Haku hung there, his head down, dangling over the edge of the bridge. Narue grunted once more and gave another harsh tug in attempts to pull Haku back up.

"It's futile to try and save me, Narue-san. My mind is made up, so please let me fall." Haku said softly.

Narue snarled, "What the hell's wrong with you?! What sane person wants to die so easy!?" she yelled at Haku, "And no, I will not let you fall! I promised you I'd save you, 'cause I owed you!" she said.

"Ah, yes. You said you'd protect me, like your villagers, didn't you? Well, I just killed one of your precious people didn't I? Aren't you going to punish me and not let his death be in vain?" Haku asked Narue.

"I—I—" Narue looked over her head to the seemingly-lifeless Sasuke, still in the centre of the rapidly diminishing ice-mirrors that were crumbling without the support of Haku's chakra. She cursed under her breath and began pulling on Haku's arm again, "Damnit, I never go back on me word, you hear me?! I'm not that much of a jerk! So quit being a baby, just 'cause you got beat and let me pull you back up!" Narue said.

"And what would the point be? If I can't beat even you, Zabuza-sama will surely disown me as a useless weapon. I failed to carry out his orders and defeat you two. Therefore, I must be the one to disappear." Haku said.

"Don't be stupid! Of course there's a point to living!" Narue yelled.

Haku took out a senbon from his hidden inventory, and looked up to Narue with a smile, "Thank you for trying to save me, even after all I've done, Narue-san. But I'm afraid that you won't be changing my mind. Perhaps we'll meet in the afterlife, if we're lucky." Haku said, and masterfully stuck the needle into Narue's arm.

Narue yelped as her hand sprung open, unhanding Haku due to reflex caused by the needle's position. Haku fell down towards the water, his arm still out-stretched.

"HAKU!!" Narue nearly screamed, reaching out after him with her other arm. Haku disappeared underneath the water. Narue cursed, and hung over the side miserably, wincing at the needle lodged in her arm.

"Narue!!" a familiar voice shouted and Narue looked over her shoulder to see Shikamaru running over towards her.

"Shikamaru..." Narue said softly, surprised. She glanced over at Sasuke, still the same as the last time she looked, then turned to see Kakashi, and a woman she didn't know, standing over a body that was rapidly losing blood. She squinted to focus on that body, and gasped, recognising it as Zabuza's body. "Eh!? What did I miss?" Narue asked as Shikamaru came over to inspect her.

"Not much, only Kakashi-sensei and this Kunoichi from Kumo' taking out Zabuza together. Her name's Yugito-something or whatever. Jeez, Narue, you look like you tried to wrestle a porcupine and lost badly. Let me help you with those." Shikamaru said, and began pulling the needles out of Narue, one at time. Narue winced as each needle was removed.

"OW! ...Err... Yugito?" Narue asked Shikamaru, wincing slightly as a needle was taken out of her shoulder-blade.

"Yeah. She says she was hired by some person called Shizune, to assist us in defeating Gatou and his men. That including Zabuza. Where's the other one, that you were taking on, though? I missed like half the battle, how troublesome," Shikamaru questioned. He took out the last senbon, "There, that's the last one..." he muttered.

"Haku fell off the side of the bridge." Narue answered bluntly and Shikamaru widened his eyes.

"How come? I doubt he's that careless..." Shikamaru asked.

"I did it." Narue muttered.

Shikamaru blinked, "You beat him? Congratulations. Didn't think you could pull something like that off." Shikamaru said to Narue with a small grin.

Narue growled, "What's that supposed to mean!? I'm a good fighter!" Narue retorted.

Shikamaru shrugged, "I know. I was just teasing you, obviously. Anyway, where's Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked, looking around; He spotted Sasuke, "Oh..." he muttered.

"I'm gonna go check on him." Narue said softly, and Shikamaru could only nod.

"I'll tell Kakashi-sensei." Shikamaru whispered, and jogged towards their sensei without another word. Narue stepped towards Sasuke's body, eyeing his pale features with a grimace. She leant down, wondering why Sasuke wasn't even bleeding.

"Then again, I'm not bleeding..." she thought, and choked on a lump in her throat. She reached out towards Sasuke's face, and lightly tapped his forehead protector with her knuckles, "How could you do that, Sasuke?? Just go and die like that... before I even got a chance to show you what I was really made of!" she said quietly, and smiled sadly, "You died protecting me... nobody's ever done something that huge for me before." She said, and leaned over Sasuke, resting her hands at either side of his shoulders.

She leaned close to his face so their noses were almost touching. She took in a small breath, and sighed it out, not noticing Sasuke's nose wrinkle in disgust at her breath's odour.

"_What stinks?_" Sasuke thought, and his ears perked at Narue's words.

"Thank you so much. I'll never forget you, Sasuke..." she said.

"Wh.." Sasuke cursed at his dry throat, and tried again, "What are you talking about, dobe?" he asked, totally killing the moment without knowing it. As he opened his eyes, Narue screeched in shock and scrambled a few away from him.

She pointed at him frantically, "You—You—You--!" she stammered loudly.

"I'm...?" Sasuke asked, raising his eyebrows as he awkwardly watched her from his position. He grunted and forced himself to sit up as Narue considered to stammer at him, "Form proper sentences, you idiot. I can't understand a thing you're saying," he said to Narue with a frown.

Narue finally managed to achieve proper sentences, "YOU--! You're supposed to be dead!!" Narue yelled at him, "A spirit! You're a spirit back to torture me, aren't you!! You bastard!" Narue yelped, scrambling back some more.

"What!? Idiot, I'm not dead. I never was! What, did you think I'd get myself killed by mere needles?" Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes at her.

"But—But—!" Narue gasped, and swallowed some of her saliva, "Damnit, I was mourning you jerk! Why the hell didn't you say so if you weren't dead!" Narue shouted at him, racing over to him and hitting him over the shoulder.

Sasuke yelled in pain, "You idiot! Stop that, I'm still sore!" Sasuke hissed at her, "And by the way? Your breath stinks - Badly." Sasuke said to her.

Narue growled, "YOU JERK!! I HATE YOU!" she screeched at him, hitting him again.

"Stop it! Annoying!" he shouted at her, crawling away from her and covering his ears. His eyes softened, "_You look like you were about to cry... and I could hear it in your voice Narue..._" he thought, and closed his eyes to smirk, "You big baby! Wipe your eyes, a real ninja doesn't cry." Sasuke told her, and opened his eyes to watch her face turn red.

She impulsively went to dry her eyes, "Sasuke-teme!" she growled at him, scowling.

Sasuke snorted, "Dobe..." he said, turning his head away, "_Thanks..._" he thought to himself discreetly as some colour began to return to his previously pale cheeks.

Over with Shikamaru, Kakashi, Tazuna and the Cloud-nin Yugito, Kakashi's eye arced into a smile, his Sharingan eye winced closed to prevent chakra usage.

"See, Shikamaru? Sasuke wasn't dead, just out-cold. And he's back to his usual self as you can see." He said to the baffled Shikamaru who had just told him otherwise; Kakashi turned to Yugito, "Yugito-san, we thank you for your much appreciated assistance. I'll be sure to see that our Hokage knows of your help." He said to Yugito.

"Not needed. This was a favour to a friend and nothing else. Perhaps we'll be able to fight together again though, Hatake-senpai. T'was a pleasure. Ja!" Yugito said, then disappearing in a flash, her company of chuunin following her quickly.

Kakashi turned to Tazuna, who was looking relieved, "Well Tazuna-san, it seems now you can complete your bridge without any more distractions. I hope you'll forgive the damages done, though." He said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he noticed the crater caused by his dog summoning.

Tazuna laughed lightly, "Think nothing of it. It's nothing compare to what I owe you—What this village owes you, for you and your team's assistance!" Tazuna said.

"Oi, sensei," Shikamaru spoke up, "What are we going to do about Zabuza's body?" he asked, pointing to Zabuza's corpse.

Kakashi hummed, "Well... Of course we'll give him a proper burial." He said with a small smile hidden by his mask. Shikamaru stared at Zabuza's corpse, and nodded mutely. And so, the great battle at the bridge had finally come to an abrupt end. The Land of Waves was finally free of Gatou's tyranny. They were free.

Hmmmm... Freedom felt rather satisfying!

* * *

And so, with Gatou and Zabuza dead and Haku 'taken care of' the people of the Land of Waves are finally able to get on with their lives in peace. But what of this Yugito from the Hidden Cloud Village? Does she hold any significance in the second Arc of Kitsune no Shoujo? And is Haku _really_ gone? Things will become clear in the epilogue to this surprisingly popular first arc of _**Kitsune no Shoujo**__**!**_

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**EDITED**: _16/04/08 _(spelling and paragraph check)


	15. Epilogue: A Promising Future!

**Epilogue: A Promising Future!**

**Disclaimer **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"What the heck? Pull him out, men!" Yugito ordered two of her chuunin to pull the overturned body in the waters onto their boat, a ride back to Kumogakure after their completed mission. The chuunin hauled the fifteen-year-old's body on board, and rolled him over. Yugito studied his feminine features, and questioned if he was even a guy at all.

"What should we do with him, taichou?" asked one of the chuunin.

Yugito hummed, "Hmmm... We'll take him to Kumo' with us." She said with a decisive nod.

"Eh?" one chuunin asked confusedly.

"Questioning your taichou?" Yugito asked him and the man yelped saying 'no', "Good. We'll take him to our village, and nurse him to health. Then he can either agree to swear loyalty to our village or be put in our prisons. Our village is short on young ninja, so we could use him." Yugito said.

"Yes, taichou!" the chuunin saluted obediently.

"Okay, we'll set out!" Yugito said and the chuunin nodded in affirmative, grabbing the oars and beginning to row. The boat slowly began to glide across the surface through the mist in silence. After a half hour of silent travel, the girlish-looking boy came to with a groan.

"Where... am I? Is this heaven, or..." the boy asked quietly, pressing his hand against the boat as he slowly sat up. Yugito observed him with her thin eyebrows raised, wondering why he thought he may be in heaven. The four chuunin also wondered.

"Oi!" Yugito said suddenly, bringing hers and the chuunin's presence to the boy's attention. He looked to them through his tangled, wet hair with surprise. "Good to see I finally have your attention. If you're wondering where you are, we're precisely thirteen minutes away from Kumogakure, the village hidden in the clouds. I am Nii Yugito, the taichou of this team and these are my men... Whose names aren't important," she said with a dismissive shrug.

The chuunin somehow knew better than to disagree with her dismissive introduction.

"The hidden cloud village? Then.. Then what of the battle in the land of Waves??" he asked, and turned to Yugito with searching eyes.

"Hum? Ah, you were a spectator I assume. Not to worry, the battle came to an end and the Wave's people were freed. If you are worrying about your family, don't worry. Once we arrive in Kumo' we'll send a letter to your family in the Land of Waves." Yugito answered.

"No, that isn't what I meant. What happened to Zabuza-sama?" the boy asked.

"Zabuza? The Demon of the Mist? Ah, he died." She answered bluntly and the boy's eyes widened to their utmost capacity, before he hung his head. "So, kid, you know my name. Do you have a name or should I just be calling you 'kid' from now on?" Yugito asked.

"Zabuza-sama is dead?" the boy asked.

"That's what I said." Yugito nodded impatiently.

"My name... is Haku. Thank you for trying to rescue me, but..." Haku, who was in fact alive, fished around his yukata for something. Finally, he brought out a sharp scalpel and put it to his neck, "Good bye—" he was cut off when Yugito swung for the scalpel, knocking it over board.

The scalpel disappeared into the water, leaving the water to ripple at the sudden impact.

"Don't ever throw your life away needlessly, even if you're distraught. I know that Zabuza meant something to you, but just because he's gone doesn't mean you can't find another reason for living." She said and Haku widened his eyes at her.

"What...?" he asked the blond Cloud Kunoichi.

"Obviously, when a good Kunoichi is given a mission it's necessary to gather sufficient information on their target. Momochi Zabuza, proclaimed 'demon' of Kirigakure picked up a scrawny kid by the name of Haku around... seven years ago. You feel as if you owe everything to that rogue ninja, but from now on, you'll have someone else to be useful for. Enlist as a cloud ninja, Haku-san, and live to serve Kumogakure." She said and Haku stared at her.

Silence filled the air, and Yugito sighed with a small grin, "Haku-san... Kumogakure would benefit greatly from your unique skills. Please, do aid us." Yugito said to Haku.

"_To feel needed... it was the same as this, when Zabuza-sama first approached me seven years ago..._" Haku thought sadly.

One of the chuunin nudged him supportively, "You should at least give it a try. Yugito-taichou here never tries to bring foreign ninja into Kumogakure.. In fact, it's pretty hard for someone such as yourself to gain the trust of Kumo'. You must be something if taichou wants to try to convince the Raikage otherwise." He said, and another one piped up.

"Yeah, come to think of it, taichou, how do you know this boy's skills?" he asked Yugito.

"I told you, research. Good ninja have to know their stuff! And besides, I asked the Copy-Nin to fill me in a little for our mission report to Raikage-sama." Yugito answered.

"I will try..." Haku said quietly and Yugito looked at him quickly.

"Hmm? So are you accepting my proposal?" Yugito asked.

"_If I can be useful once again, then maybe..._" he thought, and nodded to Yugito, "Hai, Yugito-sama." Haku said with a small smile.

Yugito grinned nervously, "None of that formal stuff... _Please_. I'm not used to being referred to with such respect." She said, waving her hand at him; Yugito turned to the shore as they pulled up against it, "Well, here we are, guys! We're almost back home, finally!" she said, gracefully slipping off the boat and stepping towards the thin patches of trees and hills that surrounded the village hidden in the clouds.

Haku got out of the boat without much help from the four chuunin, and looked up to the dull grey skies of the land of lightning with a small smile, "_Who knows? Perhaps we will meet again, Narue-san..._" he thought absently.

"Hey, Haku-san, hurry up or we'll leave you behind!" said one of the chuunin, as the cloud nin all walked ahead. Haku nodded, and jogged after them towards Haku's new home.

* * *

The end of the week came fast, and the sun beat down on the earth with a pleasant warmth, contrasting greatly to the chilly (and misty) forecast from last week's battle. Standing before the finally completed bridge, Team 7 faced the crowd of thankful villagers.

"It's not going to be the same without you guys around. Feel free to visit, whenever!" Tazuna said with a hearty grin, to the four ninja.

Narue nodded, "Sure! You'll definitely be seeing us around!" she said, giving them a thumbs up.

Kakashi lightly bopped her on the head with a sigh, "Narue-kun, don't make promises you know you can't keep." He said to her, and she hung her head. Inari nodded to himself from his position beside his mother, and then took a few steps towards Narue.

"Hey, Narue-neechan!" Inari said and Narue looked up to him in surprise.

"Neechan?" she repeated, surprised.

Inari nodded, "I've decided... if you could save my grandpa, then maybe you're worthy of being called a hero after all." He said, and grinned, "Next time we meet, I'll definitely be braver. As brave as my dad was!" he promised Narue.

Narue stared at him, then grinned widely, "Now that's more like it! Where was this smart, brave young man the last time I was here?" she asked, and scrubbed his head playfully, then pointed to herself with her thumb, "And you listen up, right now. Next time we meet, I'm also gonna be braver. I'll be brave enough, so that I can stay strong when people need my help I can be there for them even if it's scary." She said.

"Uhuh! Me too!" Inari agreed enthusiastically, nodding his head.

Narue nodded, and folded her arms as if thinking to herself. After a few moments, Kakashi decided to break the silence by saying that it was about time they headed out.

"OKAY!!" Narue suddenly exclaimed, pointing at her team-mates and cutting off Kakashi mid-preparation; "I've made a decision just now, you guys! From now on, if I make a promise it'll be for real – I'll stick to it and not let down the one I promised. Hell no! So if I promise to protect my precious people –Shikamaru, Kaka-sensei... Sasuke-teme... And the whole of Konoha, too!" Narue paused for effect and Sasuke raised his eyebrows at his inclusion. He didn't need protection, damnit! (Overlooking the fact that he had been beaten by Haku.)

Narue continued with a determined look, "—Then damnit, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I can protect you guys. No matter what it takes! After all, it's a future-Hokage's responsibility to look after its people. That's my nindo – I'll never _ever_ go back on my word!" Narue said.

Her team-mates just stared, and behind her Tazuna was discreetly chuckling.

"Wow, Narue... In the speech-making mood, huh?" Kakashi finally asked, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, where the heck did that come from? Jeez, that was so cheesy." Shikamaru sighed, and gave her a small smirk.

Narue only laughed, grinning foxily, "_Oh yeah! Look out Konoha, a new and improved Uzumaki Narue is coming your way!!_" she thought to herself, as Kakashi adjusted his rucksack.

"Well, now that Narue's gotten across the point that she wants to keep her promises from now on, we'll be on our way. Thank you for your hospitality, Tazuna-san, Tsunami-san." Kakashi said, bowing to the mentioned two.

"It was really nothing. It was the least I could do!" Tsunami said modestly, blushing lightly.

"Like I said, don't be a stranger! Leaf Ninja are always welcome here. Be sure to tell your Hokage that!" Tazuna said.

"We will." Kakashi nodded, "Okay, Team 7, are we ready?" he asked his three students.

"Hai!! Inari-chan, remember your promise!" Narue said, waving to the youngster.

"Right! It'll be my nindo, too!" Inari agreed, despite the fact that he was not a ninja. With a final good bye, the four Leaf ninja turned and began on their way across the bridge towards their destination... Home.

* * *

After thirty minutes of travel. They were now across the bridge and on their way through the forestry towards Konoha. She was lagging behind a little, watching as Shikamaru conversed with Kakashi about possible extra training. Although she thought it was odd that Shikamaru would be so eager to beef up his training-schedule, she ignored it. It was a good thing that he wasn't so lazy nowadays anyway. And as usual, Sasuke in his brooding-bastard mode so she didn't even want to bother pulling that stick out of his rear end so he'd be normal for once. Instead, she had retreated into thought. Something she didn't do very often, but whatever.

During her thinking-session, she remembered something about the battle on the bridge, and was immediately annoyed.

"_Heyyyy... Wait a second! Oi! YON-BAKA!_" she called out her head-buddy, who awoke from his rest with a start.

_**-Huh?-**_ Yon sighed, _**-Yes?-**_ he asked, a bit annoyed at being woken up.

"_I just realised something! I didn't get to use Hiraishin no jutsu! What's up with that?!_" she asked mentally, and quite loudly.

-_**Well, you knocked your opponent over the side of the bridge before you could do that; It's not like it's my fault you lost your temper like a child.-**_ Yon answered.

"_Yes, it IS your fault! You should have pulled me out of it!_" she shouted mentally, "_And I'm not a child!_" she added angrily.

_**-You're twelve, therefore, you're a still a child. Anyway, you make it sound as if it's easy to pull you back after you lost your temper.-**_ Yon said, **-Especially, when Kyuubi no baka is fueling your rage. I'm gonna have to see if I can improve the seal later on.-** he added in thought.

"_Arrrghh Whatever!! Anyway, you promised me you'd tell me how you knew one of the Yondaime Hokage's most famous techniques! So..._" Narue questioned Yon.

Yon sighed, _**-Oh come on, do the math. My name is 'Yon', therefore... What?-**__ Yon trailed off and questioned her._

"_What?!_" Narue questioned in return, apparently not catching his drift.

_**-Never mind. If you can't figure it out on your own then it's not time for you to find out yet.-**_ Yon said, **-I'm not ready yet, either.-** Yon added mentally.

"Oi, Narue!" Shikamaru called back to her, lagging behind to move to her side, "You're being awfully quiet back here... and... You're pulling a tonne of stupid faces. Is there something wrong?" he asked her curiously.

"Eh?! Oh, it's nothing Shika! Just thinking about how I'm gonna tell Hinata-chan and Iruka-sensei all about my daring adventures! Heheh!" Narue said, putting her arms behind her head, "I really gotta learn how to control my expressions while I'm talking to Yon-baka..." she thought to herself. Inside her mind, Yon sighed at how she was still calling him by that nickname.

"Ah, I see. I was also thinking of telling Chouji. And my dad's gonna want a 'detailed report' too. How troublesome." Shikamaru nodded.

"Hahaha!!" Narue slapped Shikamaru on the back, "Everything's troublesome to you, eh?" she asked with a grin.

"Yeah... you included." He said, rubbing his back sorely. Narue only laughed, and grabbed his hand as she pulled him ahead on the path.

"Come on! Let's get back to Konoha as fast we can! I've gone like two weeks without Ramen, damnit and I'm hungry!" Narue said with a grin.

"I can walk myself, woman!" Shikamaru yelped, staggering to keep up with her pace.

Kakashi smiled at the interaction between his students, and turned to look at Sasuke, who was watching Narue pull Shikamaru along like he was a dog on a leash with a certain spark in his eyes. It was difficult for anyone else to notice, but Kakashi knew that it had something to do with Narue, and he also knew that Sasuke would deny any implications that he'd happen to make. Which was why he simply settled for smiling to himself.

After a tiring two-week mission which had been greatly mismatched on the Hokage's part due to Tazuna's lies, Kakashi could safely say it was worth the while. Each of his students had gained a little something from their efforts.

Shikamaru, for example. When Kakashi had first met the lazy genin, he'd thought he'd never be able to get the boy to get out there and try to improve his skills without earning a 'troublesome' comment from him. He'd been both surprised and delighted when Shikamaru had approached him a few minutes ago asking for extra training willingly. He'd have to ask Asuma about it. He knew more about what a Nara should be working on, being well acquainted with Shikamaru's father, Shikaku.

Then there was Sasuke. Though he'd also made good progress with his chakra control, fine-tuning his skills to a higher level, as well as the awakening of his kekkei genkai, the Sharingan (of which he'd have to give Sasuke special lessons on, being of experience in this field); there was also the improvement in his view of his team-mates. Protecting Narue like that was something that pleased him, most. The angsty Uchiha was finally getting the hang of team-work.

And perhaps Narue was getting the hang of team-work, and working with the likes of Sasuke especially. Once they all got the hang of working together as a team, he felt he could officially call them as 'Team 7'.

Narue had surprised him the most, though. With her rather speedy improvement in chakra control, excelling from his set tree-climbing task, to training through the night in a completely new technique was incredible. Iruka had said she was the bottom of their class, barely making it through, but Narue had the makings of a great student and a brilliant Kunoichi. That is, if she'd really done it on her own. He'd think that perhaps the Kyuubi was manifesting and helping her out (after sensing that certain chakra, his suspicions had gained more ground), but then, Kakashi doubted that the Kyuubi would actually help Narue. It wasn't in-character of the nine-tailed demon.

So there was the possibility of another person helping her. But who exactly could be giving her hints from the side?

Ahh... Thinking too much about it was giving Kakashi another head-ache. When it came right down to it, his batch of genin had turned out to be far more interesting than he'd first anticipated. It was a good thing he'd decided to pass them after all.

* * *

**Kin-Kun's End-Of-Arc Thoughts (Please Read This!)**

**Hey there! Kin-kun here! X3**

**Well, I think I've already said this waaaayy too many times, but once again, I'll say it: I can't believe I actually kept writing this story! I don't believe that people liked this story so much, it's unbelievable! (...Believe it.) All this response and feedback from something I thought was a piece of rubbish – I was totally gonna trash it until I got a couple of reviews and decided "what the heck!" and posted another chapter... and then another... and another.. and another... And then eventually it turns out that this story has almost 200 reviews (maybe it'll be more than that, soon) and is on the favourite story's and/or subscribers list of god knows how many people, as well as an unbelievable amount of C2s. I mean come on! 35!! Are you guys serious?!**

**Wow... Just—WOW!**

**Oh but don't get me wrong. I'm totally ecstatic that the first Arc of Kitsune no Shoujo has been so popular, and I hope that people who liked this 'fic will give my other stories a chance, too. Like a story I'll be starting sometime soon, called "Best Friend" which is a Highschool AU, FemaleNaruto 'fic. (Yes. It's another FemaleNaruto 'fic.) A brief summary, if you will hear me out: Sasuke, Narumi (FemNaru) and Kiba have been friends since childhood, and now that they're in highschool, teenage hormones are racing. Determined not to be like all his fan girls, Narumi has decided she will not fall for Sasuke like others. And then there's Kiba, who's had a crush on Narumi for a while. This 'fic is a KibaNaruSasu. If you're interested, please do check out my second FemaleNaruto fiction. I'm still working out a plot, but when that's done, I'll post it. XD**

**Thanks for hearing me out. **

**Now, I'd like to ask something of all the awesome reviewers out there. If you wouldn't mind please, when you're reviewing for this here epilogue, I'd like to hear what you thought of this arc as a whole. What was wrong with it, what you liked best, what you'd like me to continue doing in future chapters, and how I could improve? Also, what kinda stuff would be cool to see in the next arc, Chuunin Exams Arc I'd really like it if you could do this, but if you want you can just go with the default "OMG update awesomeness" that I usually get. XD**

**Thanks again for sticking with me and cheering me on in "Kitsune no Shoujo: The Land of Waves Arc." I really appreciate it!**

_**Kin-kun, signing off!**_

**

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****EDITED**: _08/07/08 _(spelling and paragraph check, info updated)


	16. Ep 14: Foreign Ninja!

**Disclaimer **I don't own Naruto.

_

* * *

__Last time, in __**Kitsune no Shoujo**__, __**the Land of Waves arc**__ we were all introduced to Konoha's Foxy prankster, 12 year old Uzumaki Narue; 'cursed' as the container of the nine-tailed demon fox demon she was shunned and ignored by most of the villagers, abstaining the sympathetic few; her academy sensei Iruka, her male team-mates, best friend Hinata, and her ninja-team sensei ._

_Tired of getting lame, boring d-rank missions, Narue appealed to the Hokage for a more interesting assignment. The Hokage granted her wish, and handed to Team 7 a c-rank mission. Their task was to guard and escort the drunken bridge builder from the Land of Waves, Tazuna. But due to the poverty of his land, Tazuna had been forced to lie about the risk-level of the mission, landing team 7 in a bit of a situation. With their enemies turning from street thugs to the top-class rogue ninja known as Momochi Zabuza, and his accomplice the mysterious Haku, the band of genin were forced to up their game and train, after Kakashi managed to ward off the first attack. _

_During their training, some strange feelings began to grow between Narue and her stuck-up team-mate Uchiha Sasuke, whilst juggling strategem training with her other team-mate Nara Shikamaru. And if that wasn't enough confusion for Narue, a strange man named 'Yon' was inside her head giving her pointers and orders, and coaching her from left-right-and-centre! _

_The second battle with Zabuza at the bridge was a difficult one, but as things came to an end Zabuza was defeated, and Haku seemingly 'disappeared' over the side of the bridge. Little did Team 7 know that Haku had been taken under the wing of Nii Yugito from the Land of Lightning, and Narue might be reunited with him sooner than she'd have thought, (As in not in the after-life.)_

_It's been a few weeks since Team 7 returned to Konoha, and the Chuunin exams are creeping around the corner towards them... Get ready for even more twists and turns in..._

**...Kitsune no Shoujo – The Chuunin Exams arc!**

* * *

**Episode 14 : Foreign Ninja!?**

* * *

The chakra kunai glinted in the sunlight, its blade sticking into the earth in front of her feet. The bandages that wrapped around the handle were worn and loose, flowing in the light breeze. Uzumaki Narue watched as the bandages swayed in the wind, then sighed and grabbed the knife by the handle, and looked up to the blue sky.

Another day of training had ended for Team 7; Sasuke had cut out straight away, probably leaving to do some _more_ training! Shikamaru had also left straight away, though his reason was something to do with lessons with some guy called Asuma, as he had explained. And Kakashi had disappeared straight away, in a puff of smoke, most likely to find a quiet place to read that book of his.

Narue knew her team-mates so well! She grinned stupidly at this thought.

But that wasn't what was important right now. What was important right now was that Narue _still_ hadn't gotten to try out the chakra kunai. In _two weeks_ she still hadn't been able to try it. And why was that? Because that stupid Yon hadn't talked to her since they'd returned to Konoha, that's why!

"_Graah! Stupid Yon-teme! You're no help at all._" Narue scowled at the sky, using her imagination to shape one of the clouds into a vague impression of Yon's usually-hidden face. Narue quickly picked up a stone and threw it to the air, hoping for it to sail right through the Yon-shaped cloud.

You can bet she was annoyed when it came sailing back _down_ and landed right on her forehead protector.

"Damn it! Fine, then. If he won't help me out then I'll figure it out on my own! He said that this knife had a seal..." she examined the knife at every end carefully, and unravelled the bandages slightly. Indeed there were small scratches of kanji written on the inside of them. "_So... if I were to throw it, concentrate on seals written in here and do them... I would appear where the knife was!_" she mused to herself.

She grinned, "OKAY! Let's give it a shot!" she said loudly, and positioned the kunai; "HAAAH!" she yelled, throwing the kunai towards a nearby tree. An unsuspecting bird sat there preening its feathers. Narue quickly began to go through the sequence of seals that she'd read on the inside of the bandages, "Okay! Hiraishin no jutsu—" she said and in a flash she was right beside the bird, just as the chakra knife drove itself into the bark of the tree, barely missing the bird.

"KWAAAH--!!" The bird gave a startled shriek, and began to peck furiously at Narue who shielded herself quickly.

"Agh! Agh! Stupid bird, stop that!" Narue yelled, swatting the bird's talons away from her frantically.

"Ah! Um, yes, Mr. Bird, please stop that!" came a familiar, soft voice, and two extra hands joined Narue in her efforts to deflect the upset bird. The bird gave an indignant squawk, and flew away quickly. Narue, recognising the female voice, turned to Hinata with a grin on her face.

"Hinata-chan! Thanks a lot! I haven't seen you in ages, how are you?" Narue greeted Hinata, who nodded her head shyly, putting her hands together with a soft smile.

"I-I'm doing just fine, Narue-san. Are--?" Hinata began to ask, when she was cut off by another voice.

"Yeah you're not too messed up after getting your butt kicked by a sparrow are you?!" asked the obnoxious male voice. Narue turned towards him with her fists clenched,

"What was that!? KIBA!!" Narue yelled at him, annoyed. Kiba dashed down the small dune of grass after Hinata and Narue, his little white dog Akamaru following after him faithfully.

Hinata shyly spoke up to ease the slight tension in the moment, "Um... Um, Kiba-kun, that wasn't a-a sparrow... Narue-san could have e-easily been hurt by it!" she told him.

Kiba shrugged his shoulders, "I knew that! Anyway, so Narue, what the heck was that jutsu you just used, back there? I mean one second you were over there," he jerked his thumb in the direction of Narue's previous position, "—and the next you're over here, getting attacked by some sore bird. And I don't remember you being _that_ fast!" Kiba questioned her.

"I-I am also curious..." Hinata nervously said. This was what she had wanted to ask about before Kiba had jumped into the conversation.

"Eh?" Narue asked.

"I too, would like to know." Came another voice and Kiba and Narue nearly jumped a few feet into the air. Hinata herself was quite surprised. They all turned to greet the third member of Hinata and Kiba's team, the silent Shino.

"Jeez, stop sneaking up on us like that Shino!" Kiba complained, patting his chest, while Akamaru whimpered in agreement.

"Yeah what are you trying to do!? Give us a heart attack?!" Narue asked Shino, shaking a fist at him.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings," Shino shrugged, and turned to Narue, "What kind of technique did you use to shift your position so quickly, a moment ago." He said sharply. Narue was a bit unnerved by his direct question.

"Oh, well..." she paused, "_I can't exactly tell them 'I was just practicing my kick-ass new technique the Hiraishin jutsu, which _by the way_ was also the Yondaime Hokage's signature technique, but I have _no idea_ how I managed to get a hold of such a technique;' now can I?? Damn it, I'd better lie!_" she thought frantically, and then her stomach grumbled loudly. She grinned widely, "Or_, I can make up an excuse to drop the subject!! Thank you, stomach!_" she thought to herself.

She looked to Shino while patting her stomach consciously, "Ehehe. Sorry, Shino! I can't explain on an empty stomach. I'm gonna go eat at Ichiraku's and since I know your bugs can't stand the smell of that place it's gonna have to be another time! Bye-Bye!" she said and quickly turned on her way after plucking the chakra kunai out of the tree.

"Um... W-wait..! N-Narue-san..." Hinata stepped in, reaching uncertainly after the blond Kunoichi.

"_Damn it, I had nearly escaped!!_" Narue thought to herself, freezing in her tracks; she turned to Hinata, "Ehehe... Yes, Hinata-chan??" she asked as sweetly as she could.

Hinata blushed, and put her fingers together as she tried to voice her wishes, all in vain. Narue was such a bright and overwhelming personality, and shy little Hinata felt humbled by her light with her modest, and soft nature.

"Um... well... I mean, that is.. I would like to.." Kiba looked at his stammering team-mate with a look of confusion across his face; he furrowed his brows as he tried to decipher her 'code'. "You... s-see, I would like it if... if it's okay with you... the both o-of us.. Maybe other people t-too... And, well... What I m-mean to say is—" she was cut off by Kiba whom had figured it out.

"What Hinata-chan here is trying to say is, you don't mind if she, Akamaru and I join you for ramen, your treat!" he said, slinging his arms over both girls' shoulders.

"E-Eh...?" Hinata asked, blushing from embarrassment.

"WHAT!" Narue yelled in disbelief and anger, "I'm not stinking rich, dog boy!" she retorted, pulling away from him.

"Fine, so I'll pay for Hinata-chan's... But you can pay for _mine_, Narue!" Kiba said with a smirk.

"Fat chance! You can pay for your own meals!" Narue shook her head stubbornly.

"Um... I-I'll pay for my own meal, Kiba-kun." Hinata spoke up, prodding her fingers together nervously as she looked at Kiba. Kiba looked down to her from his slightly taller point-of-view, and sighed.

"Sure. Ruin the fun, Hinata-chan," he said, and paused while Hinata stammered in surprise, "I'll pay for mine and Akamaru's, but we're not paying for _you_." Kiba turned to Narue.

"Who said I was even gonna agree to letting you come, dog boy?! On the other hand, Hinata-chan can come. I wanted to talk to you, actually, so I could tell you all about my great adventure a few weeks ago. What do you say Hinata-chan??" Narue asked Hinata.

"I-I'd like to hear..." Hinata nodded shyly. Narue grabbed Hinata and linked arms with her,

"Then we'll be off. Later, bug boy, dog boy!" Narue called back after Kiba and Shino. Kiba spluttered in surprise, the growled and raced after the departing girls.

"Hey, I wanted to get ramen too, you guys!" Kiba shouted after them, Akamaru racing after him with a yip; leaving Shino all alone. _Again_.

Shino sighed to himself, "I wasn't even invited... I wonder why?" he spoke to his insects, and could have sworn he sensed them shrugging their shoulders nonchalantly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was awaiting his tutor, Asuma. He stood outside a restaurant that sold barbeque, taking in the scent of the cooking meat as he looked up at the clear sky above, watching the clouds sail by peacefully. He'd been waiting for a good twenty minutes now; but it must have been problems with his team that held Asuma up, Shikamaru thought. After all, the poor guy was stuck with Sakura and Ino, so he was probably breaking up yet another argument.

There were a lot of other people around, but Shikamaru had learned to tune their insignificant conversations out after many years of ignoring that sort of thing.

But when a group of foot-steps came towards him he glanced down from the clouds to see if it was Asuma and his team. Instead, there stood two people.

The first was female; her blond hair was tied back into four bunches, she had ocean-blue eyes and a grin on her face. She stood with her hands on her hips, clad in a white dress with fish-net armour over her shoulders; around her neck was a forehead protector with a different symbol to Konoha's traditional leaf-shape, and she wore blue sandals.

Next to her, a tall boy with purple paint decorating his pale face stood. He wore a baggy, black body-suit with some sort of head-gear that made him seem as if he had cat ears. Sewn to the front of his head-gear was the same symbol as on the girl's forehead protector. While his female companion carried with her a large black fan, he carried some sort of large figure wrapped in bandages on his back.

"Hey, kid. Mind doing us a favour?" asked the boy, obviously older than him.

Shikamaru looked them over, "It depends. Who are you guys? You're not from Konoha, that's for sure." He shrugged his shoulders. The blond girl held up an ID and showed it to him,

"My name is Temari and this is my brother, Kankurou. We're from the Village Hidden in the Sand, and we're here to partake in the Chuunin exams." The one named Temari introduced herself and her brother to him; "We're looking for Hokage tower, so that we can register for the exams." She added.

"So can you help us out or what?" the guy asked again.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows, "_Chuunin exams already? Why haven't Kakashi-sensei or Asuma-sensei told us about this? Did they expect us to find out on our own?_" he thought to himself; "Hmm. I could show you there, but I'm waiting for acquaintance to show up." He answered them, "However, I can point you in the right direction. Hokage tower is right below our Hokage monument, over there. Should be easy enough for you to spot," he answered, pointing towards Hokage mountain lazily.

Temari and Kankurou looked over in the direction of the Hokage mountain, and then Temari nodded. She patted Shikamaru on the head roughly,

"Thanks, kid." She smirked, and the two walked away from Shikamaru. He rubbed his head, frowning at their departing figures,

"_Geez... Who were those guys? Do I look like a tour guide? I've got a bad feeling, somehow,_" Shikamaru thought, "_What's taking Asuma-sensei so long?_" he then wondered.

"Shikamaru!" came a voice and Shikamaru turned to see Asuma walking towards him, Chouji, Ino and Sakura following. Shikamaru smiled a little,

"Asuma-sensei. Hey Chouji," he nodded to his sensei and friend. Ino folded her arms,

"Where's our 'hello'?" she asked, not really expecting one anyway.

"I had something I wanted to ask you, Asuma-sensei," Shikamaru mentioned and Asuma looked down to him curiously, "I just heard about it.. Why didn't you mention that the chuunin exams were coming up?" he asked Asuma.

"Ah, about that..." grinned Asuma, "It will have to wait for another time, if you wanted to ask me. I have a meeting to attend at Hokage tower, right now. It's very important, so you head inside with Sakura, Ino and Chouji, to eat. Tell the waiter it's on me," Asuma said.

* * *

Elsewhere, a kunai was driven into a target with precision. From his throwing spot, Sasuke stood up with a breath of satisfaction. That made his 49th bulls-eye so far. He grabbed another kunai to turn that into an even score of fifty. Unfortunately, someone called him out at this moment,

"Hey, you! Excuse me!" it was a female voice.

Sasuke scowled, and decided to ignore the female, and unfamiliar voice. It was probably just one of his fan girls. But then again, his fan girls always called him 'Sasuke-kun', and not 'Hey-you'. Oh well. He lifted his kunai to aim, and someone else called him out, this time being male.

"Don't ignore us, you jerk!!" he yelled at Sasuke.

"Takuya-kun, calm." The female voice spoke again.

"If all ninja in Konoha are like this then I swear...!" began the boy again.

"Yeah, I know. Just calm down." The girl said. Sasuke curiously turned to look over his shoulder. By the boy's statement, they must not be from the village. If they were here without permission then he was allowed to confront them. This would be good sparring practice.

The male had dark brown hair with a centre parting, his forehead protector bearing a symbol that looked like two clouds around his neck. He wore a baggy dark-olive coloured shirt with a low collar along with grey pants and black sandals and gloves. He carried a set of bow and arrows over his back. He stood with a frown of his face, his arms folded.

Beside him stood a girl with medium length light brown hair and grey eyes, her hair cut choppily short. She too wore her forehead protector around her head, and her attire consisted of a loose kimono-like jacket and a black shirt underneath, along with beige shorts and black sandals. She carried no weapons with her apart from her kunai holster and shuriken pouch.

"Who are you guys...?" he said warily, eyeing the two foreigners who stood nearby.

"Ah, so he finally acknowledges us..." the boy snorted, looking away.

The girl grinned, trying to be friendly, "Sorry to bother you during your training, but we're looking for Hokage tower. Our other team-mate and sensei know where it is but we got separated in a crowd, earlier on. Could you point us in the right direction?" she asked Sasuke.

Sasuke turned to face them completely, "You didn't answer my question." He said stubbornly, and pointed a kunai in their direction, "You're obviously not Konoha ninja. State your reasons for being here." He said to them.

The male, previously identified as 'Takuya' raised his hands, "Alright already! We're not Konoha ninja, we're from Kumogakure, the village hidden in the clouds. The name is Takano Takuya." The boy said.

"And I'm Hoshida Akane," Akane bobbed her head in greeting.

Sasuke nodded, and turned to look away, "Sorry, can't help you." He said, "_More like, I don't want to help you._" He added mentally.

"Gee, thanks. A fat lot of help you were," grumbled Takuya.

Akane frowned at Sasuke, and then she sighed, "C'mon. We'll see if we can find someone who isn't busy, to ask." And with that, they began to walk away.

"Jeez, where the hell are sensei and Haku anyway?" snapped Takuya and Sasuke's eyes widened. He turned to watch the two depart,

"_Haku?? No, it can't be the same one from the Battle at the Land of Waves... Could it?_" he thought, and pulled a kunai from the notch in the wooden pole it was lodged in, "_I've got to find Kakashi-sensei and ask him about this._" Sasuke decided, and began to collect his tools.

* * *

Meanwhile, the silver-haired sensei in question was faced with a certain opponent. Their black irises clashed, flashing cautiously. And then, Kakashi turned away from him with a sigh,

"Gai, I don't really have time for this. And neither do you for the matter. Hokage-sama called all the Jounin for a meeting which is why I confronted you. Now come on," he said, walking away as if to guide his opponent to their destination.

Maito Gai, Taijutsu specialist of Konoha, dropped his hands on front of his knees and clenched them, grunting irritably, "Running away like that is very bold of you, Kakashi! I hope you remember that as it stands, the score is 50 to 49, with me in the lead. Don't you want to redeem yourself!?" he pointed to Kakashi.

"I'd rather not waste my time with that." Kakashi answered coolly.

"Waste your-! Kakashi!!" Gai raced after Kakashi, "I can understand. You're merely scared that you'll lose again and fall even further behind. You must already know that it is a part of a shinobi's nature to never show fear or regret. Therefore, you must accept my challenge and prove that you possess the courage and pride that is a part of youth!" Gai explained.

"Uh... huh." Kakashi bobbed his head up and down disinterestedly, gazing down at the pages of the book he had brought out.

"Kakashi, were you listening to anything I said?" Gai questioned him.

Up in the foliage of the trees, she perched herself, holding onto the branch beneath her with on other hand while leaving her other hand to rest on her thigh. She brought it back to brush her pony-tail behind her head.

"Konoha ninja sure are interesting..." she muttered, before standing up. Kakashi glanced over his shoulder as he walked away from Gai, to the tree in which she stood. "_We meet again, Hatake._" She thought, and with that she took off, following the two Jounin towards Hokage tower.

* * *

"Thank you very much for gathering here so quickly. I'm sure you all know what my invitation means. The time of year has again come around, the time for the Chuunin Selection Exams. And I'm giving you all a chance to nominate your students to partake in the exams, should you see them fit for it," the Third Hokage told the gathering of Jounin standing in his office.

Amongst the familiar faces of the Leaf village's Jounin, there were also some new faces. A small group of Jounin from the Sand Village stood together in a far corner, watching the other ninja with a wary gaze. One Jounin caught the Third's eye, recognising him as the sensei to the children of the Kazekage, The land of Wind's ruler. He seemed to emit an aura of stoicism. Thus far, nothing but what is expected of their ally was shown.

And turning his head to the opposite corner of the room, there was only one Jounin from the Land of Lightning that had decided to come. The old Sarutobi didn't blame Kumogakure from being hesitant to deploy their forces here, especially since they were less than likely to be accepted in this village; the Hyuuga's would be the most upset at their presence.

"_Let's hope Hiashi-san will be willing to listen to the reason for their participation. Ever since the clash between Kumogakure and the Hyuuga clan, we have been trying to restore the alliance that should have been put in place 9 years ago._" The Third thought to himself, then considered the candidate from the Cloud Village. "_Hmm.. Nii Yugito, ha? Let us hope she can keep _it_ under control during her stay._" He frowned at this thought, and continued to address the Jounin before him.

"All the Jounin you see here that are not from this village will be participating in this year's exams. You may notice that we have entrees from the Land of Lightning, this time," upon declaring this, many Jounin in the room glanced over at Yugito, who merely smirked at them, then looked away. The Third coughed to get their attention, "I do not want you to be unsettled. Their participation in Konoha's Chuunin selection is a chance for us to form new connections and allies. I understand it will be hard to accept, but please do your best for the benefit of our village." The Third said.

The room was filled with murmurs from the Leaf ninja occupying it as they warily discussed this. Standing alongside Maito Gai, and two of his fellow Rookie 9 sensei, Kakashi looked over to Yugito as she returned his glance. Umino Iruka, who had accompanied them under invitation of the Hokage, (as well as his own curiosity over whether Narue would be taking part in this year's exams, as well,) stepped up to speak.

"Hokage-sama, if I may ask... Has Hiashi-sama of the Hyuuga clan agreed to the presence of this Cloud Ninja? After what happened 9 years ago with the Raikage and Hiashi-sama's daughter...!" Iruka said.

The Third nodded, "I have scheduled a meeting with Hiashi-san to discuss this matter with him. There is nothing to worry about. The last thing that the Land of Lighting wants right now is a clash with the Land of Fire. Is that right, Yugito-san?" he turned to Yugito.

"It is as you say, Hokage-sama. Truly, all we want here is to fix the treaty our previous Raikage broke." Yugito nodded, glancing at Iruka.

"Does that answer your question, Iruka?" the Third asked the academy sensei, who settled for keeping his jaw firmly shut, "Now, will the Jounin assigned to this year's rookies step forward and state if there are any candidates you wish to put forward?" he asked, looking to Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma.

Asuma nodded, "I, Sarutobi Asuma, nominate Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura and Akimichi Chouji for the Chuunin exams." He said.

Kurenai followed him up, "I, Yuuhi Kurenai, nominate Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata for the Chuunin exams." She said. Next, was Kakashi's team. Iruka looked at Kakashi nervously.

Kakashi looked straight into the eyes of the Third, "I, Hatake Kakashi, nominate Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Narue for the Chuunin exams." Kakashi said.

Iruka again stepped up, ready to fight for his cause, "I object! What're you thinking, Kakashi?" he asked the silver-haired Jounin. Kakashi looked to him.

"Ha? I'm thinking that my team is ready to take the exams. They've improved greatly since they graduated from your class, if you haven't noticed." Kakashi told him, "And if you remember, I was six years younger than my students when I became a Chuunin." He added.

"But Narue isn't like you! She isn't a genius, like you were. This is the Chuunin exams we're talking about! It isn't a game – It's a life or death situation! Are you trying to crush them?!" Iruka asked him frantically.

"Iruka," Kakashi said stoically to the brown-haired chuunin, "I can understand your feelings, since they used to be your students prior to graduation but I'm telling you right now to stay out of this. They aren't your students anymore, they're _mine_." He said.

Iruka gulped, and hung his head, clenching his fist.

"Well, now that that's finished," the Third cut in, smiling kindly to them all, "The Chuunin exams will begin in three days! Prepare yourselves!" he announced and with that, the Jounin all bowed and began to file out of the office one by one.

* * *

Meanwhile, Narue, Hinata and Kiba had gotten themselves into a mess on the way to the Ichiraku Noodle Bar when they'd bumped into the same Sand Ninja that Shikamaru had earlier on; Temari and Kankurou.

Kankurou snarled at Kiba, who had run straight into him while trying to catch up with the girls, and grabbed a fist-full of his jacket, pulling him closer.

"Watch where you're going, punk! I swear, ignorant fools like you are what piss me off the most...!" Kankurou spat at him.

"Gah, let go, moron!" Kiba gasped, struggling against his hold. Standing behind the braver blond, Hinata shivered,

"Kiba-kun, y-you shouldn't make the situation worse...!" she told him, while Narue growled, pounding her fist into her other palm.

"Oi, jerk! Let go of him or I'll be forced to take action..!" she said threateningly, glaring at Kankurou who snorted, looking down at her with a sneer.

"What makes you think you can even stand up to me, girl? Be patient, I'll take care of you after I'm done with this guy. I've needed to let off some steam ever since we left Suna. Travel can be stressful." Kankurou said.

Temari sighed irritably, "Not again... Kankurou, you do realise that he'll be mad at us for starting a fight with the people who are looking after us, right now?" she asked him, and turned away. "Oh whatever! Just do what you will, and leave me out of it." she muttered.

"Alright!!" Kankurou agreed, lifting Kiba from the ground and pulling back a fist. Kiba snarled, and began to swing his legs at Kankurou, hoping to hit the target, while Akamaru sunk his teeth into Kankurou's leg with a growl. Kankurou yelped, and kicked Akamaru away harshly, "Damn mutt!" he glared at the dog.

"AKAMARU!" Kiba gasped, snapping his head in his partner's direction.

Narue stepped up, cracking her knuckles, "You bastard! Where do you get off, kicking puppies and picking on people?!" she asked him, "You guys are obviously from not around, so I'll let you know. My name is Uzumaki Narue, future Hokage, so I'm more than capable of kicking your asses!" she exclaimed, pointing at them.

Kankurou snorted, "Is that so? Well listen here kid – We couldn't care less if you were the Hokage or the dirt under my sandals. Like I said, wait your turn. Then we'll see whose ass'll be getting kicked!" he said, pulling his fist back again.

Kiba jammed his eyes shut, awaiting the impact. Hinata gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth as she watched with anxiety. Narue growled, and dashed towards Kankurou and Kiba, ready to show this cocky foreign ninja just what she was made of.

Kankurou suddenly hissed and recoiled his hand from Kiba's jacket, dropping the Inuzuka to the ground with a harsh shove. Holding on to his arm roughly, he flinched,

"What the hell was that?! A- A senbon?!" he asked, jerking as he pulled out the long, silver senbon. He and Temari looked around cautiously, and Hinata activated her Byakugan. She instantly found the source of the senbon, and grabbed the back of Narue's jacket to alert her.

"And there's a lot more where that came from..." the gentle voice admitted as Narue looked up into the nearby tree that Hinata pointed out.

"No way..." Narue muttered, her eyes widening.

Kankurou glared, "Who the hell are you?!" he snapped at him.

"_That's_... _Haku!?_" Narue thought, alarmed at the boy's sudden reappearance.

* * *

The new Arc has only just started and already things are getting hectic! With the news of the upcoming Chuunin exams in three days, along with the presence of ninja from several other villages, Suna and Kumo included, it's not going to be a peaceful next few months, at all. And if that wasn't enough, Haku has returned! How will our heroine react to the supposedly "dead" rogue ninja's reappearance?!

* * *

(**Narue's POV**) _**Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!**_ ...What the..! What the hell are _you_ doing _here_?! Weren't you supposed to be _dead_?? (Haku: I can understand why you're confused. Let me explain. I'm here to take the Chuunin exams...) WHAT!? CHUUNIN EXAMS? I'm _so_ gonna enter! It's one step closer to becoming Hokage after all!! Heheh. This is going to be great!

* * *

**Kin**: Hey, everyone. I've finally started up this again. Not to worry, I'm not going to stop doing my other FemNaru story, "Best Friend", because of this. I merely thought it was about time I stopped keeping you waiting. I hope you all enjoyed this, and that you can give me some feedback. And as for the OCs, not to worry; they're only there to be Haku's team-mates. Thanks a bunch for reading!


	17. Ep 15: Chunin Exams

**Kin:** LATE-UPDATE NO JUTSU!! ...Yeah, I'm so sorry for how long this took to write. I hope the new chapter makes up for that. (sweat-drops) And, when I asked people what they wanted in this new arc, someone asked that Gaara must be awesome. I did my very best on making him as bad-ass as the real thing. I hope that I did good enough!

Disclaimer: _I don't own any of the characters from Naruto. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, Hoshida Akane & Takano Takuya are my own non-important characters._

* * *

_Last time on Kitsune no Shoujo... Narue and her team had been settling down after that hectic mission to the land of waves and things were finally starting to feel normal again... As normal as the life of a ninja can get, that is. And then suddenly, this was all thrown out the window when foreign ninja started popping up everywhere with the talk of a Chunin exam. And then, Narue got the surprise of her life when Haku seemingly returned from the dead! What is he doing here, in Konoha?!_

**

* * *

****Episode 15 – Chunin Exams?**

* * *

The wind ran through their bodies, as a tense silence filled the air. Kankurou hissed at his injured wrist as Temari methodically dislodged them and tossed them aside, both Sand ninja keeping a wary eye on the long-haired boy perching in the nearby tree.

Kiba and Hinata watched Haku also, as if trying to decide if he was an ally or an enemy. Akamaru sniffed the air, trying to get some clues from his scent.

Everyone was quiet...

At least, it was until Narue managed to snap herself out of her shocked daze.

"Haku-? What- What the hell are you doing here?! And how are you even alive!?" she sputtered, and Haku smiled at her confusion.

"That's a long story, for a time when we have time to talk," Haku began, and looked over his shoulder, "And for when we aren't being watched." He said, looking over to the red-head with black circles around his eyes, who hung from the tree branch next to him.

His pale green eyes slipped over to Haku warily, "_You're good,_" he thought to himself.

"G-Gaara!?" Kankurou gasped, while Temari widened her eyes at this Gaara.

Gaara looked over to the two at his mentioning, "Kankurou, I told you not to pick any unnecessary fights." He told Kankurou, who gulped.

"H-hey, it wasn't my fault..! These guys started it by being inhospitable and rude. What was I supposed to do? Ignore that?" Kankurou answered.

"Yes. That's exactly what you should have done."Gaara nodded. Kankurou flinched.

Temari nervously raised her hands, "Hey, now... Kankurou's sorry for that, right?" she glanced to Kankurou who hastily nodded, "And besides, now that we're all back together we should carry on with getting registered! I think that'd be best." Temari added.

Gaara closed his eyes a moment, as if contemplating that.

He then disappeared in a mini-tornado of sand, reappearing next to Kankurou and Temari. Once he arrived he turned his eyes on Narue, who paused on glancing incredulously at Haku, to curiously eye him. He then took note of Akamaru, Kiba's pup, who seemed to be shivering at him.

Kiba noticed this, "Akamaru, boy, what's wrong?" he asked, kneeling down to pet Akamaru while continuing to keep his guard up. Something about this guy was bad news.

Gaara nodded his head, before looking up to Haku, "Hey you. What was your name? And where do you come from? I can tell you're not a leaf ninja." He addressed Haku.

"How observant you are. I am Haku, from... the land of Lightning. And you?" Haku answered.

Narue's eyebrows flew up. Land of Lightning? Even _she_ knew that was a lie.

Gaara eyed Haku, "Hmm.." he mumbled, then nodded, "Gaara of the Sand." He answered. Narue blinked, then grinned to herself.

"Hey, hey! Wanna know who I am?" she called out to Gaara.

Gaara didn't spare her a glance, but answered after a while, "I don't." he said, still not looking at her. Narue tripped over her own feet at his blunt reply. "Let's go." He said to Temari and Kankurou, who nodded and followed him as he left.

Hinata watched them leave a little fearfully, and then let out a sigh of relief once they disappeared from sight. She knelt down by Narue.

"A-Are you alright, Narue-san?" Hinata asked Narue, who was picking herself up of the ground.

"...Why doesn't anyone want to know who _I_ am?" Narue asked.

"'Cause you're not that important, just face it." Kiba shrugged.

"What was that?! I'll punch your lights out!" gasped Narue, shooting up to glare at Kiba.

Kiba smirked, "Nah, just kidding. That guy's like an ice-cube despite being from a desert; why'd you care what he thinks about you?" Kiba asked, swinging an arm around her shoulder. Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"It matters to me! I want everyone to acknowledge me for how great I really am!" Narue answered, shrugging him off her shoulders.

"Okay, what_ever_! If that's how you feel," Kiba shrugged his shoulders. Hinata then gasped loudly and the three of them turned to her; "Hinata? What's up?" he asked.

Hinata turned sheepishly to Narue, "Narue-san I'm sorry. I said I'd go with you to eat Ramen and hear your story, but I just remembered an errand that my father had asked me to run.. W-Would you mind that I left it for another time?" Hinata asked Narue.

Narue seemed put out, "Hinata-chaaan... This happens every time I wanna talk to you. What? Do you not like me?" she whined.

Hinata shook her head, "N-No! I mean, that's not it..! It's just that it slipped m-my mind. I promise t-to make it up to you..!" she insisted.

"Oh..." Narue nodded, "So... you do like me?" she asked hopefully.

Hinata blushed, "O-Of.. of course I do.. Narue-san." She nodded shyly, "I-I have to go. Good bye," she tipped her head and scurried off.

"Where's our good bye?" Kiba called after her, pointing to Akamaru and himself.

"G-Good bye to you too, Kiba-kun, Akamaru!" Hinata called back, and turned a corner.

Once she was gone, Narue sighed a bit, grinning, "Hinata-chan's so weird, ne Kiba?" she asked the dog-boy.

Kiba glanced at her thoughtfully for a moment, before ruffling her hair, "Not as weird as you! But hey, that's why we like ya!" Kiba answered, and then started running off laughing before Narue could retort.

"What was that? Hey! Kiba!!" Narue called him out, before sighing and grinning a little.

"And good friends they are. You're lucky, Narue-san," Haku's voice right behind her startled her into jumping a foot forward.

"Ah!! Don't do that!" Narue gasped, clawing at her chest.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm used to being quiet, so I'm sorry if I snuck up on you," Haku nodded, "_After all, it is what a ninja does,_" Haku decided to keep this to his thoughts to himself in favour of not getting an ear-full.

Narue calmed herself gradually, then folded her arms and sighed, "I-It's okay... I guess," she mumbled and Haku smiled slightly; Narue then gasped at remembering what she wanted to ask, "Ne, so why _are_ you still alive? You _fell off a bridge_ didn't you?!" Narue questioned.

"For the record, Narue-san, I can swim." Haku shook his head, "Is there anywhere we can- Oh?" Haku blinked as a large grumble erupted from Narue's stomach.

"AH!" Narue gasped, blushing in embarrassment, and then grinned quickly, "Wanna talk at Ichiraku Ramen? The food is great, and I'm _starving_!" she asked Haku.

"Of course. After you," Haku gestured her to take the lead.

"Aw'right! This way, this way!" Narue grabbed his hand and began dragging him along. As she did, she eyed the former mist-nin's hand with a furrowed brow, "_But really, Haku... How did you survive? _Why_ did you survive? Back then, you seemed so ready to die..._" she thought to herself sadly.

* * *

"_It's futile to try and save me, Narue-san. My mind is made up, so please let me fall." Haku said softly._

_Narue snarled, "What the hell's wrong with you?! What sane person wants to die so easy!?" she yelled at Haku, "And no, I will not let you fall! I promised you I'd save you, 'cause I owed you!" she said._

"_Ah, yes. You said you'd protect me, like your villagers, didn't you? Well, I just killed one of your precious people didn't I? Aren't you going to punish me and not let his death be in vain?" Haku asked Narue._

"_I—I—" Narue looked over her head to the seemingly-lifeless Sasuke, still in the centre of the rapidly diminishing ice-mirrors that were crumbling without the support of Haku's chakra. She cursed under her breath and began pulling on Haku's arm again, "Damnit, I never go back on me word, you hear me?! I'm not that much of a jerk! So quit being a baby, just 'cause you got beat and let me pull you back up!" Narue said._

"_And what would the point be? If I can't beat even you, Zabuza-sama will surely disown me as a useless weapon. I failed to carry out his orders and defeat you two. Therefore, I must be the one to disappear." Haku said._

"_Don't be stupid! Of course there's a point to living!" Narue yelled._

_Haku took out a senbon from his hidden inventory, and looked up to Narue with a smile, "Thank you for trying to save me, even after all I've done, Narue-san. But I'm afraid that you won't be changing my mind. Perhaps we'll meet in the afterlife, if we're lucky." Haku said, and masterfully stuck the needle into Narue's arm._

_Narue yelped as her hand sprung open, unhanding Haku due to reflex caused by the needle's position. Haku fell down towards the water, his arm still out-stretched._

"_HAKU!!" _

_

* * *

"__Did Haku find a new reason for living...? Is that why he's back? Agh, this is frustrating... I wanna know!_" Narue thought to herself. Haku watched her ponder over it with a small smile.

"_My new reason for living is..._" he thought to himself.

"AH! We're here!" Narue interrupted his thoughts and the brunet looked up at the nori fluttering above the entrance to Ichiraku Ramen. Narue proudly patted the wooden frame of the restaurant, as if she herself owned it, "This place has the best Ramen you'll ever try! I guarantee it!" she told Haku.

"Is that so? Very well, shall we head inside?" Haku asked her with a kind smile.

"Obviously!" Narue nodded, and tugged Haku inside, "Hey, old man! Two bowls of beef ramen!" she called to the stall's owner.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was hanging out the window to his bedroom, staring at the sky. With a sigh, he slouched farther into his arms, "Why couldn't today have been a normal day?" he asked the skies, as if they'd answer his questions.

It had started out normal- or as normal as it could be for the young Nara, -and then it had all been tossed upside down with the presence of those two foreign ninja he'd met, Temari and Kankurou, and their mentioning of a supposed Chuunin exam.

He had wanted Asuma to lay down the facts plain and simple for him, but luck had not been with him and he was left to speculate the meaning on his own. It was simple enough, so he had no need to complain, really.

"_I guess I don't have to worry, really... There's no way Kakashi-sensei would deem us ready for such a troublesome exam._" He thought to himself.

How wrong he was. Life was gonna get more troublesome for him, whether he wanted it or not.

* * *

Haku stared at his Ramen dish as if it were going to bite him. Having been under the tutelage of Zabuza, never straying too close to the Land of Fire, he had never really had a chance to sample its cuisine. Not that he was sure Ramen could be called a cuisine, by anyone other than Narue.

"Oi, why're you just _staring_ at it?? You're supposed to eat it! C'mon, I paid for this- are you gonna just refuse it?" Narue whined at Haku.

Startled, he shook his head quickly, and picked up his chopsticks, "No! I was just- I'm sorry if it may have insulted you," he hurriedly broke apart his chopsticks, "_Itadakimasu_." He habitually said, and began to eat.

Narue quickly grinned; glad to see someone enjoying her treat.

Haku stared at his chopsticks after having sampled the food; "It's... good." He muttered, surprised.

"Isn't it?! I _told you_ it was the best you could get- _Didn't_ I?!" Narue laughed obnoxiously.

Haku nodded, "You did indeed," he answered, having some more.

"Yeah! _Itadakimasu_!" Narue dug into hers heartily, and the two ate in silence for a while. After finishing her bowl and downing the remaining soup with one big gulp, Narue wiped away the excess with her sleeve and slowly turned to Haku. Haku was already watching her solemnly. "So... What happened after you fell?" Narue asked quietly.

Haku nodded slowly, "I thought that it was the end for me," he began calmly, and Narue gulped, "But then I was rescued- pulled upon the boat of a group of Cloud Ninja. Their captain introduced herself as Nii Yugito." Haku said.

Narue widened her eyes, "_Yugito?? I've heard that name before... She's.. She's the one who helped Kaka-sensei kill Zabuza.._" she realised, "_Does Haku know that?_" she added with furrowed brows.

"When she told me that Zabuza-sama had died, I attempted seppuku. Yugito-sensei stopped me and offered me the opportunity to join the ranks of Kumogakure no Sato, in exchange for my loyalty and skills. She gave me a new reason to live," Haku told Narue, watching as her eyes stretched wide.

"Hey, hey, wait a second- what?! You- You tried to kill yours-" Haku clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Yes, I did. Please, keep your voice down," Haku said, gesturing to the stall-owner Teuchi, who looked rather uncomfortable.

Narue rubbed her head sheepishly, "S-Sorry." She muffled out an apology through Haku's fingers.

Haku removed his hand from her mouth and sighed, "As I was saying, Yugito-sensei took me in and gave me a home in Kumogakure. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it seems Yugito-sensei is not very popular amongst most of the villagers there so it was the best she had available." Haku added.

"Huh? Why not?"

"I'm not permitted to disclose that information, I'm sorry," Haku shook his head, and continued; "To finish, I was tested and placed in a genin team lead by Yugito-sensei herself, and we are here to partake in the Chuunin exams as well as-"

"Chuunin exams? What's that?" Narue asked, and lit up, "Oh! Oh! Do you think Kaka-sensei will let me take it too?!" she asked.

"Perhaps," Haku mused, a bit annoyed that she had interrupted him again, "Anyway, those are my answers to your questions." He glanced to the lighting outside and then reached into his jacket to pull out some ryou. He placed it on the table before him; "That should cover my part of the bill. I must be going now, Narue-san." Haku said as he got up off his stool.

"Ah, thanks! Come again!" Teuchi spoke up and Haku nodded to him.

"Hey! I said this was _my _treat! Why are you paying?!!" Narue complained.

"Force of habit. I guess I don't want to be further indebted to you, Narue-san." Haku smiled thinly, and waved slightly, "We'll meet again, ne? I've enjoyed our talk, but one of my team-mates is rather impatient and I don't want to anger him too much." He said, exciting the shop with a smile.

Narue was a bit upset that Haku had walked out on her so early. She had been so surprised, and a little suspicious of him, just appearing from the after-life like that, but on the other hand the surprise was a rather pleasant one.

Narue was glad that one of her precious people had survived after all. She'd do her best to keep him safe from now on. Unlike last time.

Narue dashed up from her seat, ignoring Teuchi asking her to come back and pay, and ran outside the restaurant. She looked around for Haku's person, but found him nowhere.

She sighed, and smiled, "_Haku... I'm glad you're still alive._" She thought to herself, before being dragged back inside Ichiraku to pay.

* * *

The next day, a rather annoying routine began again.

"Cooommmmmee oooooon, Kaka-senseiii..." Narue groaned irritably, her torso slung over the railing of the bridge, "Where the hell are you?! If you're gonna just be late anyway, why not set the meeting for a more reasonable time??" she whined.

Hanging over the opposite railing, Sasuke merely rolled his eyes.

Shikamaru, who sat down on the ground nearby Sasuke, creased his brows, annoyed that she was being too loud, "While I agree with you whole-heartedly on that, Narue... Could you be a little less obnoxious about letting it be known?" he asked her, rubbing his head and muttering that she was giving him a headache way to early in the morning.

Narue got up off the railing and turned to them, "If you agree with me, then you should be joining in complaining about sensei with me instead of telling me to shut up!" she said to him folding her arms.

Shikamaru shrugged, "A waste of energy. Kakashi-sensei's always ignorant to such complaints anyways," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh? Is that right, Shikamaru?" a voice came, surprising them. All three looked up to see Kakashi perched upon the bars above them. He gave them a slight wave, "Hey! Sorry I'm so late. You see I came across this little old lady who needed help with her groceries so I had to take her to her home." He told his students.

"Like hell are we believing that lame-ass excuse!?" Narue retorted, shaking a fist at Kakashi.

"How many times have we heard that one, already? At least six, huh Sasuke?" Shikamaru glanced at Sasuke as he got up, cricking his neck slightly.

"Hn," was Sasuke's response, as he turned to face Kakashi expectantly.

Kakashi laughed, "Okay, okay. You got me. Actually, the reason I was so late is that I had to pick these up for you guys," Kakashi said, holding up three pieces of paper to them.

"Huh? What are they?" Narue asked Kakashi, as the silver-haired jounin jumped down to join the three. He handed a leaflet to each of them.

"They're consent forms for the Chuunin exams. I've nominated the three of you to take part in them," Kakashi said and both Narue and Shikamaru let their jaws drop (for different reasons). Kakashi blinked, "Hm? What's wrong with you two? Aren't you pleased?" he asked them.

"I'm not." Shikamaru let out a groan, turning away to mutter under his breath, "_There goes my hopes that sensei thought we weren't ready... ugh._" He thought to himself.

Narue looked as if she were at some sort of Ramen convention, she was so thrilled. With an excited laugh, she leapt and pounced on her sensei.

"Kyaa! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Kaka-sensei this is AWESOME!!" Narue cried, laughing. Kakashi tried to shake her off.

"Okay, I get it, I get it. I guess you're more than happy to take part in the exams," he laughed slightly, and turned to Sasuke, "What about you, Sasuke? Are you okay with this?" he asked the Uchiha.

Sasuke stared at his form thoughtfully, "_Hm.. Those two from yesterday were probably here for this. Which means that I'll be able to test my skills against Cloud Ninja.. The boy was hot-headed and irritable, but it'll be interesting to fight him.. Heh._" With that thought, Sasuke smirked.

Kakashi saw this and took this as answer enough.

"I won't force you into doing this. You don't have to take part if one of you doesn't want to, but do think this through." Kakashi gave a meaningful glance to the less-than-enthusiastic Nara who nodded carelessly, "Just have these filled out and come to the Ninja Academy in two days, if you _do_ want to take part. Well, that's all I had to say. See ya!" with a wave, Kakashi was gone in a cloud of jutsu-created smoke.

Now alone on the bridge again, Narue let out an excited cry.

"Aw, this is awesome!! I'll pass this test, and I'll get even closer to my goal! Hell yes!!" she cheered, and began to rush off, "Ne, ne, I'll see you guys later!" she called to her team-mates before bounding off.

"Someone's excitable." Shikamaru sighed, "Jeez, I don't want to do this... Such a drag," he muttered.

"Then don't take part." Sasuke answered, turning away. Shikamaru looked up at the Uchiha. "If you don't have the motivation to improve your skills then that's your own choice. Kakashi-sensei said it was optional anyways. So if you want to chicken out," he looked over to Shikamaru, "-then go ahead." He said coldly to the shadow-ninja.

Leaving Shikamaru to stare at his retreating form, Sasuke headed off to prepare himself for the exams. With a weary sigh, Shikamaru leaned against the railings and gazed up to the sky.

"Oh man... What should I do?" Shikamaru muttered to himself, thinking back to the three sand-ninja he'd met earlier.

* * *

"_Hey, kid. Mind doing us a favour?" asked the boy, obviously older than him._

_Shikamaru looked them over, "Depends. Who are you guys? You're not from Konoha, that's for sure." He shrugged his shoulders. The blond girl held up an ID and showed it to him,_

"_My name is Temari and this is my brother, Kankurou. We're from the Village Hidden in the Sand, and we're here to partake in the Chuunin exams." The one named Temari introduced herself and her brother to him; "We're looking for Hokage tower, so that we can register for the exams." She added._

* * *

"_They practically oozed confidence... And it was probably for a valid reason- that they're a helluva lot more powerful than I am. What'll I do if I get stuck having to face off against them?? A good strategy or two can only do so much when I'm overpowered._" He thought bitterly, and looked off to the side thoughtfully.

He remembered watching Narue and Sasuke sparring once in the academy. Sasuke clearly posed far more fighting prowess than Narue and, being male, overpowered her easily.... But Narue never gave up, despite her disadvantage and the fact that other students all believed she would lose no matter what she tried.

Shikamaru had asked her why she was so damned persistent and she had replied stubbornly.

"_So what if he's stronger? I'll just keep trying and trying. Challenging myself will make me stronger! And then I'll show them what my true powers are!"_

"Even if you've got no chance, you've got to try, huh..." Shikamaru muttered to himself, and looked at the exam form in his hands. "I wonder if... I can be as strong as you, if I try?" he added, and sighed, getting up from against the railings and wandering off.

_I'll do my best._

* * *

"Huh? So you showed up after all??" Narue blinked upon seeing Shikamaru coming up to join her, two days later. Sasuke had already arrived and was glancing back at Shikamaru from his position facing away from the two.

"I guess I did," Shikamaru shrugged, "Don't want to be labelled a coward after all. That'd be too much of a drag," he said, glancing at Sasuke, who snorted and looked away.

Narue laughed loudly, and slung an arm around Shikamaru's shoulder, "Good to have you on board Shikamaru! Let's do our best today- ttebayo!!" she said loudly, causing some passing-by rain-nin to glare at her before going past.

Shikamaru sighed, and smiled to Narue, "Yeah. We'll do our best." He nodded.

"YEAH! Let's go! Look out Chuunin exams – Here comes the awesome Team 7!!" Narue cheered, pulling Sasuke under her arm too and dragging the two in before they could retort.

Watching from the shadows, Haku smiled. "_We'll all do our best, here._" He thought, watching Team 7 head inside.

* * *

So, now that all the members of Team 7 are on board and motivated to fight, it's time to get this show on the road! There's gonna be a lot of interesting competition to face off, this time around! What awaits our fearless kunoichi and her team-mates! Next time on Kitsune no Shoujo we'll find out!

* * *

(**Shikamaru's POV**) _**Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo...**_ I guess I didn't really know just what I was getting myself into when I agreed to take part in this thing. Everywhere I look there are tough looking shinobi, and they don't look like they're going to go down easy. (_sighs_) I just know we aren't going to get through this unharmed.


	18. Ep 16 : Green Beasts and Beastly Rivals!

**Kin:** Hey you guys! I worked hard to get this chapter out faster than the last time's wait and I hope I achieved that. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: _I don't own any of the characters from Naruto. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, Hoshida Akane & Takano Takuya are my own non-important characters._

* * *

_Last time on Kitsune no Shoujo, Narue was reacquainted with Haku, whom she had assumed dead; and learned of the upcoming Chuunin exams. It would be the perfect way to test her skills, right? Well, now Team 7 all have the chance to test those skills at the exams but it's not going to be a walk in the park with rivals such as the trio from Sand, the Cloud ninja participating, and all the other contenders for the level of Chuunin too. Let's see how this rigorous exam will develop, starting now in Kitsune no Shoujo!_

* * *

**Episode 16 – Of Green Beasts & Beastly Rivals!**

* * *

Team 7 had already made it past the pre-exam test that a few Jounin had set up for the examinees. Shikamaru had been the first to notice that a genjutsu had been placed on the field, after initially having 'a bad feeling' and figuring it out from there. Through noticing that, Team 7 quickly carried on their way to the real exam hall, and past a group of ninja that were close to their age.

One of the three ninja, who wore a bright-green full-body suit and leg-warmers, watched their backs as they left the corridor, before turning to his team-mates, a long haired boy with eyes like Hinata's, and a girl with her hair tied into two individual buns.

Noticing his look, the girl sighed and propped her hands on her hips, "No, you can't Lee. We have to get to the exam hall before it starts or we'll be disqualified. You know that." She said.

The one called Lee saluted, "Don't worry, Tenten! I'll be sure to return to you guys in time for the exam!" he tried to assure his comrades, "..and if I cannot, I'll complete 500 sit-ups as punishment!" he added.

"We have no doubt that you will, but in doing that you will not help us be any earlier." The long-haired boy said with a tsk. However, Lee was already well on his way down the corridor. His team-mates haplessly watched him depart.

"Jeez... Once Lee puts his mind to something, he just won't drop it. I'll admit it's a good quality, but we could really do without it at the moment." Tenten sighed, shaking her head.

* * *

"Ne, Shikamaru? How did you figure out that it wasn't the real exam hall? I didn't notice anything." Narue asked her comrade.

Shikamaru shrugged, "And that's why you need to work on your Genjutsu recognition," he replied, and Narue growled, "Most of the time, it's a gut feeling for me. But you have to be on guard at all times for these kind of things." He added.

"Haaaa..." Narue pouted and folded her arms.

"Uchiha Sasuke!!" a call came, causing all three ninjas eyes to dart up to the balcony above them. There, stood Lee, who bore a confident expression.

Sasuke hardened his gaze, "Yeah, that's me. What do you want?" he calmly inquired. Lee grinned.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you! My name is Rock Lee. I'm here to challenge you, Sasuke Uchiha." Lee proposed.

"Okay... And what if I don't want to accept?" Sasuke asked carefully.

"And what the hell are you thinking, arranging a challenge at a time like this? We're supposed to be heading to the exam hall right now, and if we're late...!" Narue scowled up at Lee.

"...Then we'll most definitely be disqualified for lack of punctuality." Shikamaru finished Narue's statement for her, frowning.

"There is no need to worry. Our battle won't take so long as to jeopardise our chances of entry. And," Lee confidently pointed to myself, "Naturally, I will be the winner of this match." He said with a toothy grin.

Sasuke smirked, "Oh, so you think so? We'll see about that." He nodded his head.

"Yes, we shall." Lee agreed.

Shikamaru looked from his team-mate to this older boy frantically, and raised his arms to protest, "Wait a minute, Sasuke!" he patted his shoulder, and frowning, "Are you sure you can handle this guy so quickly, or is it your pride talking? We don't have the time to mess about here." He explained to the Uchiha.

Sasuke shrugged away Shikamaru's hand, "Don't worry about me. I've got this," he said, cracking his knuckles, '_And with my newly attained Sharingan, this should be a piece of cake - It'll be _too_ easy._' He added mentally.

Lee observed Sasuke stepping up, '_He's over confident. That's perfect. Since he won't be expecting it, I can catch him off guard with _that_ move._' He thought, and raised his arm to a battle stance, leaning back on his right leg, "Shall we begin, Uchiha Sasuke?" he asked the dark haired rookie.

"_HEY!_ Wait a second, here!" Narue stepped in front of Sasuke, putting her arm in his way.

Sasuke eyed her, annoyed, "What're you doing...?" he asked her warily.

Narue grinned, brimming with self-confidence, "Why battle a loser like Sasuke here," she thrust her finger at said Uchiha, who glared at her, "When you can fight much bigger and better opponents like yours-truly!" she finished, bringing her thumb to gesture to herself.

Rock Lee stared at her, before shaking his head and smiling at her, "Your confidence is good. However, I'm afraid that it is not in my principals to engage in fights with ladies such as yourself," he denied Narue's oh-so-kind offer.

Narue growled, clenching her fists, "What the hell?! That's sexism, jerk!" she screeched.

'_Wow. I'm surprised she knows the meaning of that word,_' Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at her.

"Perhaps it is to you," Lee began as Sasuke brushed past Narue's arm, "But to me, it is the way of a gentleman. I apologise if it has offended you. However, my challenge firmly stays with Uchiha... Are you ready?" Lee asked, hardening his gaze to Sasuke.

"Humph. Bring it on," Sasuke nodded.

Lee smirked, "Very well!" he nodded, and in a flash, he was already charging in to attack before Sasuke could predict his movements.

"He's fast!" Shikamaru gasped.

"No kidding...!" Narue agreed, '_Well, not as fast as I am when I use the chakra kunai._' She added inwardly, feeling smug.

Sasuke dashed in with a kunai, ready to attack, but was surprised when his target disappeared from right in front of him, appearing in the air right behind him, ready to swing at him with a harsh kick.

"Leaf Hurricane!!" Lee called, spinning around to attack; Sasuke quickly ducked underneath, and was forced to bring up his arms to guard a quick follow-up kick. Lee brought up his left hand, performing a 'hand seal'.

Sasuke saw his opening, '_A-ha! This is my chance to use it,_' he thought, and focused his chakra to his eyes, '_Sharingan!!_' he snapped open his eyes, revealing the crimson red eyes marred by the tomoe his blood-line technique.

Narue widened her eyes, "Sasuke's eyes went red! What is that!?" she asked out loud.

Shikamaru hummed, "It's most likely the blood-line limit of his clan – Sharingan," he said, and upon receiving a questioning look from the girl he continued, "How it works is... Through focusing chakra to their eyes, they can optimise their vision to a point where they can predict moves before they even happen, as well as even copying techniques. You saw how Kakashi-sensei fought with Zabuza, so you should know." Shikamaru explained.

"Ahh... Oh yeah," Narue nodded, '_Damn, why can't I have a cool 'blood line limit'?_' Narue wondered, sulking a little.

Lee smirked, "You can't predict my movements, can you Uchiha?" he asked, smashing Sasuke with yet another kick. Sasuke tumbled to the ground, before picking himself up and glowering at the bowl-cut boy, "I know all about your clan's blood-limit, Uchiha, and unfortunately, there is one serious fault to it," he said, and waited as the irritated Uchiha closed in for a close-range attack.

Sasuke was halted from his chances of attack, when Lee swung up his leg to smash upwards into Sasuke's chin. The Uchiha was thrown up into the air.

"SASUKE!!" Narue gasped, shocked, '_Damnit, I_ know _Sasuke isn't this weak. This bushy brows... he's way stronger than he looks!_' she thought, frowning.

As quick as the first move was performed, Lee was going at the airborn12 year old once again, "The truth is, I use neither Genjutsu or Ninjutsu – so there's no way that your Sharingan can detect it!" he said, turning around once he had reached his point just below Sasuke. "And even if by some chance you are able to read my movements, there is no chance of your body being able to keep up with them.... Like this! I will show you how hard work prevails over natural genius...!!" Lee unravelled the bandages wrapped around his wrists, and Sasuke was helpless to wait for the attack to come.

Narue clenched her firsts and gritted her teeth, waiting for the cringe-worthy impact to come.

But it didn't.

Instead, what came was something entirely unexpected. A paper windmill sped towards the two, catching Lee's bandages through them and pinning it to the walls. Lee gasped, and moved back from his attack, landing on the ground gracefully.

'_The way he's gonna land, there's no way he'll be in top condition afterwards...!_' Narue grunted, and dashed towards where Sasuke would land, skidding across the wooden floorboards to reach him in time. With a crash, the two landed on the floor, "Owwwww!! Damn it Sasuke, loose a few would ya?!" Narue groaned under the weight.

Sasuke groaned, shocked by the landing, and the fact that he had been vastly overpowered by this weirdo. He then turned his head to look Narue in the way.

Narue stared right back at him, both annoyed and a little nervous that Sasuke was staring at her so intensely.

"So?! Are you gonna get off'a me??" she asked him impatiently.

Sasuke widened his eyes slightly, before quickly pulling himself off of her and running his fingers through his bangs irritably, "What happened? Why did he stop?" he asked out-loud, trying to change the subject.

Narue hummed, looking over to where Lee had landed, and raised her eyebrows incredulously, "My guess is that it's something to do with that... turtle? Man, this day keeps getting weirder." She muttered, watching as Lee bowed and apologised repetitively to a huge, angry looking turtle.

And it was bound to get even weirder.

"I'm very sorry! Please forgive me!" Lee bowed his head low several times to the turtle.

"You have no excuses this time!! Your stupid little crush isn't even here for you to impress so what the hell do you have to say for yourself, uhhh?!" the turtle drawled, not amused.

"I-I am aware of that. However, my intentions were not for showing off in front of Sakura-san-" Narue raised her eyebrows incredulously – This bushy-brows liked Sakura?? What was so great about that pink-haired fan-girl? "It was more on a part of testing Sasuke-kun's strength. I wanted to see if he was worthy of my fair maiden's attention, as it seems that no matter what I do, he is the only one she will look at." Lee finished, looking forlorn.

Narue's eyebrows drooped a little, finally understanding Lee's motives. She found herself sympathising with him, as she too understood how it felt to want to be looked at in a way that was not belittling nor hateful. And Lee's desire for attention seemed truly sincere.

'_Man... Sure, this bushy-brows may be mighty strange looking... But I think that maybe.. those two deserve each other._' She thought to herself, humming, '_Sakura's always looking for someone who'll give her the attention and love she seeks, but she's not gonna find that in a guy like this teme, here,_' Narue paused to frown at Sasuke, '_And all bushy-brows wants is for Sakura to look his way for once. Though I don't know why he has to pick Sakura of all people – Hinata-chan's way nicer._' She thought, and then realised that Hinata probably wouldn't be able to handle this weirdo's behaviour anyway.

She looked up after concluding her thoughts when a mini-explosion burst out from on top of the turtle. The small clouds shifted away, revealing a taller, more outrageous looking version of Lee, who struck a dramatic person.

"Hey there every body!? Are you all caught up in your own whirlwind of youth?!" the man, Maito Gai inquired rather loudly.

"G-Gai Sensei!!?" Lee gasped, standing at attention.

Narue twitched, genuinely shocked and a little appalled at the sight. Had these guys really no fashion sense whatsoever?!

Like she was one to talk, but whatever...

"Oh man... An even more troublesome person came out!" Shikamaru muttered, his eyes wide and disbelieving.

"Took the words right out of my mouth..." Sasuke muttered, glaring at the two strange ones.

"Look at those eye-brows... they're thicker than the first ones'." Narue pointed out.

"I'll say... And their gaudy suits are giving me a migraine," Shikamaru grumbled, massaging his temples.

"You dare to insult...?!" Lee gasped, whirling around with a clenched fist.

"Lee!! It's alright. They just don't understand our way of living out our lives. Let 'em be," Gai said to Lee.

"A-Ah, yes sir." Lee nodded, bowing in apology.

Gai nodded, accepting this response, and then hummed, glancing at Narue. Narue shivered, unconsciously backing away from his gaze.

"Lee," Gai began, turning to his student, "There is a lovely lady present. You have been courteous and polite around her, yes?" he asked the boy.

"Yes sir!" Lee saluted, "I made sure to treat her gently! She offered to fight in the place of Sasuke-kun – an admirable aspect – but I declined as to spare her an embarrassing knock to her confidence!" he explained.

Narue twitched, "What was that?! So you rejected my offer because you thought I'd lose to you??!" she yelled and Shikamaru hooked his arms around her from behind to hold her back from attempting to pummel Lee into the ground, "I'll show you what this 'lady' can do!! I'll kick your ass! Damnit, Shika, let me go so I can teach this jerk a lesson!!" she struggled under Shikamaru's surprisingly firm grip.

"Cut it out, will you? I'm sure he didn't mean it in a way to offend you. He was doing something nice, most likely," Shikamaru argued.

"Like hell am I gonna drop it like that!" Narue retorted, thrashing about.

"Well, now that we've gotten those very important topics out of the way, there is one more very important thing we have to do!" Gai announced.

"Yes, Gai-sensei! What is it?" Lee asked.

Gai cleared his throat (for reasons unknown,) and all of a sudden threw back his fist, next smashing it bang into Lee's jaw, sending the thirteen year old flying. Gai was quickly with Lee again, and helped him to stand.

"Now I know that it is hard not to want to prove yourself for the sake of such a powerful emotion as love, but you must contain your desires if you want to be seen as a fellow with unbreakable patience and strength. This is just another trial of youth that you must overcome!" Gai explained, tears overflowing from his eyes.

"G-Gai-sensei...!!" Lee sniffled, tears rippling from his eyes.

"Now, come to me my wonderful student...!" Gai opened his arms up wide, proud of his pupil.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee accepted the invitation for a hug.

"Lee!!"

Team 7 was severely surprised... and very disturbed as well.

'_Is this a joke? I was _seriously _defeated by this freak?_' Sasuke shuddered, glaring at the two green-clad ninja. The two parted, and Gai nodded.

"But nevertheless, Lee, you broke my rules. A punishment is in order," Gai said and Lee nodded, seeing it fair. Gai hummed, "Right! You will run 1000 laps around Konoha to make up for this act," he said, pointing out to the door.

Lee saluted, "Right away, Gai-sensei!"

Shikamaru sweat-dropped, and shook his head, "Hey guys, let's just get outta here. We're gonna be late for our exam." He said to his team-mates, walking over to them. He knelt down by them, and glanced at Gai and Lee, "We can leave these guys. Such a drag," he muttered.

Sasuke merely nodded, and Narue glanced at Gai and Lee too, "Hey, but isn't that unfair on them? We could at least remind them about the exam-"

"Hey! You three over there!" Gai called, surprising them.

Shikamaru sighed, "Oh great. There's no point in trying to sneak out now," he grumbled, as he and the other two turned to Gai and Lee hesitantly.

"How's Kakashi doing?" Gai asked them with a grin, and the three were surprised that he knew Kakashi. The two didn't seem like the type to be acquaintances with each other. Gai smirked, "You're wondering how I know him, eh? Heheh. To tell you the truth, we're hot-blooded rivals! And as it stands, I'm currently in the lead with winnings, with my 50 points to his 49." Gai explained, suddenly behind Team 7.

They spun around to face him, shocked. '_WOAH! How did he get behind us so fast? He's way faster than Kaka-sensei, that's for sure..._' Narue gasped.

Gai hummed, "You four should get going, now. You'll have to hurry if you don't want to miss the exam." He said, to them.

'_Ah, so he didn't forget about the exam after all. This guy's kinda confusing,_' Shikamaru thought.

"Go on, now! Lee, don't forget to do your very best! Show 'em what we Taijutsu masters can achieve!" Gai said, giving Lee a thumbs up and a shiny smile.

"Right, sensei!!" Lee nodded determinedly.

And with that said, the four of them set out towards the exam hall together. Narue glanced at Lee, who walked alongside them. With a hum, she nodded to herself, and stepped up to his side,

"Hey, bushy-brows," she began.

Lee looked at her and smiled, "My name is Rock Lee, Narue-san," he answered her.

"Uh, yeah, okay. Anyway, what that turtle said back there. About Sakura. So do you really like her?" she asked him curiously.

Lee blushed a little, and nodded, "Yes. I have been watching her for a year or so now, even back when I was an academy student. She is not the strongest physically, but she tries her hardest with what she does excel in, with her intelligence. She reminds me of myself, for I cannot use chakra so I rely on what I can do to become an exceptional Shinobi. However, she only pays attention to Sasuke-kun, so I sometimes feel a bit discouraged. After all, he is very talented in both ninjutsu and taijutsu." Lee said.

Narue hummed, '_Lee really put a lot of thought into his feelings... I never looked at that side of Sakura before – she always seemed like some obsessed fan-girl to me. The bushy-brows is very observant of her; way more than Sasuke is. Hmmm... Okay! I've decided!!_' Narue nodded resolutely.

She grinned at Lee, "Hey, don't worry, okay?!" she whispered to Lee, who blinked at her. She winked a little, "I'll help you with Sakura, where I can." She said with a smirk.

Lee widened his eyes, then grinned widely, "Thank you very much for the offer, Narue-san," he said as they approached the forms of Kakashi, Tenten and Neji in the distance. He began to jog over to them, paused and looked back to Narue, "However, I would like to win her attention through my own efforts! Good luck in the exams, Narue-san!" he said, and then continued to run to his team-mates.

Narue watched his back as he and his team-mates passed Kakashi and entered the exam-hall together.

'_Lee's a good guy. The kind of guy I think Sakura needs the most._' She thought, grinning a little.

As they approached their sensei, the silver-haired Jounin blinked, looking up from the book he was reading. He pushed himself off the wall to face the three.

"Ah, so I guess you decided it wasn't so troublesome after all, Shikamaru." He said to the pony-tailed boy, "That's good. I was worried that I was going to have to send my team home instead, this year," he said with a smile.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shikamaru frowned at his sensei, "What would've happened if I'd decided not to come?" he asked warily.

"Well, if you hadn't come along with your team-mates, Shikamaru, to put it simply they couldn't have entered the exam at all. The exam only allows three-man cells to qualify. You're disqualified if you lose a member at some point of the exam, too." Kakashi answered seriously. Narue gaped.

"What did you just say?? If Shikamaru hadn't come with us..." she paused and Kakashi nodded his head, "So you're saying our fate was hanging on that lazy bum's decision?" she asked, pointing at Shikamaru, who frowned.

"Oi... I resent that." Shikamaru muttered.

"Heh. Yes, that is kind of what I was getting at, though maybe I wouldn't have phrased it like that." Kakashi nodded, and adjusted his forehead protector absently, "But it doesn't really matter now anyway, seen as though he did come with you. Which I am proud of you for, Shikamaru," Kakashi looked to Shikamaru.

"A-Ah..." Shikamaru hesitantly nodded, '_Then it really is a good thing I decided to come. Sasuke and Narue would've kicked my ass for soiling their chances when they were willing,_' he thought, rubbing his head slightly.

"I'm proud of all of you," Kakashi nodded to them all, "Sasuke... Narue... And, Shikamaru - Go show them what you're made of," he said to them, smiling.

Narue couldn't help but grin too, Sasuke smirked discreetly, and Shikamaru's lip curled to a slight smile.

Shikamaru stepped up to the door first and grabbed, "Hey... Let's all open it together." He said to his team-mates, who nodded in agreement. Sasuke took his spot holding the other door-handle. Narue nodded.

"Yeah! Let's go!! This is gonna be a breeze, for us!" she agreed, and with that Shikamaru and Sasuke opened up the doors, and the three of them stepped inside.

Kakashi watched them solemnly, '_A breeze, huh? If only it could be. You three better be on your guard._' he thought.

* * *

As soon as they were inside, they were overwhelmed. The room was jam-packed with ninja from many different villages, of all shapes and sizes. And they all looked so much more experienced than Team 7. The intensity in their stares directed to them was enough to prove that.

Shikamaru looked around nervously, '_I guess I didn't really know just what I was getting myself into when I agreed to take part in this thing. These guys look really tough - like they're not going to go down easy._' He thought, and looked to Narue who was just as put back as he, '_A breeze huh, Narue? There's no way things are going to be as easy as we thought._' He added, frowning.

Narue gulped, letting the saliva slip down her throat, and she let out a shaky breath, before grinning widely.

She turned to Shikamaru quickly, and surprised him with her comment, "This is nothing, right Shika? We're not gonna let a little set-back bring us down." She said to him, and Shikamaru widened his eyes.

'_...Huh?_' he took a double-take, then smiled a little, "Yeah, I guess..." he nodded, sighing. '_Who knew Narue could be so mature about this... And here I was being all cynical about it._' he thought to herself.

Narue pointed at the other exam-takers with a big grin, pulling Shikamaru under her shoulder with her arm, "You hear us??!You don't scare us one bit, 'cause we know we're strong enough to take you all on and win!!" Narue called out to them all.

Shikamaru nearly choked at hearing her declaration, and slapped his hand over her mouth, "What the... Narue, what're you thinking?? Quiet down, you troublesome loud-mouth," he said, and hesitantly looked over at the other ninja; they were all glaring at them. He gulped, "Oh jeez... Too late." He muttered, rubbing his head irritably.

Narue looked at the angry ninja before them with a sweat-drop, "Ah... My bad. But hey, I had to get our confidence up somehow. Isn't a pep-talk the best way?" she mumbled.

Shikamaru just sighed out heavily. He'd need a good cloud-gazing session to cool off after all the trouble he had a feeling he'd be enduring from today forward.

"You're such an idiot, Narue... The only thing you did was make them more hostile towards your team!" Came a familiar voice, and Team 7 turned to see some of their fellow Rookies approaching them; Team 10.

"S-Sakura...!!" Narue gasped, stepping backwards from them instantly. She still hadn't forgotten that rather unforgettable experience from their Orientation day, and she didn't exactly feel like getting reacquainted just yet.

"Huh, so you guys are here as well..." Sasuke muttered, glancing towards the three of Asuma's group.

Sakura's attentions quickly switched to the dark-haired Uchiha. She ran towards him and grabbed his arm boldly.

"Sasuke-kun!! I've missed you – We haven't seen each other since the day of Ninja Orientation!" she greeting him giddily, smiling widely.

Sasuke tried to shake her off his arm, '_I'd have liked our time apart to be longer._' He thought, frowning at her. "Let go." He said. Sakura blinked at him, and furrowed her brows.

'_I don't get it... Doesn't he remember what happened back then?_'Sakura thought, feeling doubtful, -**_No!! I'm sure he's just playing shy 'cause Ino's here too._**- Inner-Sakura argued.

Speaking of Ino, Chouji who stood by her was wondering why the fuming blond wasn't jumping into action too at the sight of her so-called beloved. Upon his inquiry of such, Ino folded her arms and growled.

"I've been trying to figure it out for a while. Sakura's gotten a hell of a lot of confidence when it comes to Sasuke-kun since the Orientation meeting, but I can't for the life of me figure out why that is. What kind of head-start does she think she's gotten?" Ino grumbled, her brow creased in thought.

Chouji hummed, swallowing a chip, "Have you ever thought of asking her why she has that confidence?" he asked Ino.

Ino let out a louder growl, "Of course I have! But she just smirks and says '_That, is none of your business, Ino-chan~_' in such a sickly sweet way that I... Gagh, forget it!" Ino sighed, and cracked her knuckles, "I'm heading in! Back me up," Ino said, cracking her knuckles a few more times as she walked towards Sakura and Sasuke.

"Sure thing," Chouji said, munching on his chips and making no plans to actually back her up. It was better to not get involved with fan-girls' battles.

"Ohh!! Looks like you guys did enter this exam after all!!" Kiba's voice filled the air, and Narue turned to see Team 8 closing in. She gladly greeted them in favour of taking her mind off Sakura.

"Kiba! Hinata-chan! The same to you guys, so you're entering as well? This is so cool!" she said, "But hey, don't think I'll go easy on any of you guys if we have to go head to head." She said confidently.

"Haha, same goes for us! Don't expect me to hold back at all!" Kiba agreed, grinning wolfishly at them.

Shino observed this comment, and shook his head, '_We all know that you'd definitely hold back, should you fight against her,_' he thought, and Hinata's thoughts reflected his also.

Kiba glanced over Narue's shoulder to see Sasuke being glomped at both sides by both Ino and Sakura, looking rather annoyed.

"Huh, I didn't know you had a girlfriend now Sasuke! Two of them, at that – can't you make up your mind, jeez!?" Kiba laughed at him. Sasuke glared at Kiba,

"Neither of them are my girlfriend." He said harshly.

"Yeah, what're you thinking, Kiba? Idiot, Sasuke'd never go with someone as clingy and annoying as those two are!" Narue agreed with Sasuke.

"Huh, is that so? Whatever, I don't really care either way. I'm way cooler than him, so it's pretty wrong if he gets all the attention," Kiba grumbled, putting his arms behind his head. Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"You can have them, if you want." Sasuke said coolly, attempting again to shake the two girls off of him.

Kiba snorted, "No thanks! I'm not interested in the clingy type either!" he waved his hand dismissively, and glanced at Narue from the corner of his eye, watching as Narue tried to detach Ino from Sasuke's arm first. He looked away again, angrily snorting, '_Lucky bastard, you don't know how good you've got it,_' he thought.

"Hey, you guys! You should really think of quietening down already!" another voice entered the conversation. One that none of them had heard before yet.

They all turned to see a boy older than them, with mid-length silver hair tied back into a low pony-tail, and round rimmed glasses.

He smiled in a friendly way to them, "Your obnoxious chatter is working the nerves of your fellow Shinobi in this room. And we wouldn't want to have them get a bad first impression of you guys, right?" he asked them.

"Who _are_ you?" Narue asked him.

The boy nodded, "But where are my manners? My name, it's Yakushi Kabuto. It's a pleasure to meet you all," he tipped his head in greeting.

* * *

(**Narue POV**) **_Next time, on Kitsune no Shoujo!_** _...This Kabuto guy... He really knows his stuff about a lot of the people here... So of course people are gonna get nervous if this guy has info on them! Especially that shady bunch from the new hidden village, Sound... And our examiner is pretty suspicious too – not to mention scary! ...Wait a minute. What did he just say?? We have to take written test before we can start with the real thing?! That's so lame!! Why the hell do we have to do that?!_

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**Kin:** Hey you guys! I worked hard to get this chapter out faster than the last time's wait and I hope I achieved that. I wanna ask, do you guys approve of a little LeexSakura? I've always wanted to try out a not-commonly used pairing like this, so I hope you guys are okay with a bit of it (though it's not going to be too dominant of a pairing)._ **Soul of the Silver Pheonix**_, your suggestion on Narue's character-development has been duly noted. I'll work on it. -smiles- Anyways, hope that this chapter scores a few more reviews than last time. Thanks for reading anyways~! Merry Christmas in advance!


	19. IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO MY SUBSCRIBERS!

_Okay... I've post-poned getting this message out for far too long... It's high time I actually told you guys what's going on...!! ^^;;;_

**

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**

Hi! I know I've left you hanging for WAY too long with Kitsune no Shoujo, and I'm truly sorry for that. I mean it, it really makes me feel bad. And it's been like this for a couple of months, too. I just can't find the motivation to write for this story again, as I expressed on my profile page. Here's a quote, to sum up what's going on:

"_I've decided to put Kitsune no Shoujo back on hold, since I've lost interest in writing. You're probably disappointed, I know, but I really don't enjoy writing it that much anymore. It was one of my first stories on this site, and to be honest, kinda amateur-ish._"

And the fact that it feels so ameteur-ish to me is why I just can't work up the motivation to write it, as well as lack of ideas. In fact, I'm not too interested in Naruto in general at the moment at all, which is why it's been a while longer than I'd have hoped for me to update my other Naruto story, 'Best Friend'. Which is a shame because it was getting good. -_cries_-

Anyway, I've decided to put Kitsune no Shoujo on official **HIATUS!** There's no telling when I will continue writing this story, or if I even will at all. Please don't hate me if it doesn't ever continue because I'm as disappointed about this as you guys probably are. It's my first story, after all - it's like my fanfic baby!! _-sad face-_ It's helped me practice my writing and improve on my writing, and story-telling, and it's been fun to write in the past. So it's been a good experience for me. It's just that it's not 'fun' anymore because if I try to write for it again, that will just be me FORCING myself, and when you're forcing yourself to do something, the fun disappears.

I hope that you understand...!!

As for 'Best Friend', if any of you are readers of that fic, I think I will need to take a short break from that. I know, I know, it's already been a long time since I updated, but I don't feel ready to write for Naruto yet...!! DX;; But I think I will start writing this story again, definately, in September. So I won't disappear from the Naruto-fandom completely and permenantly, I'm just taking a break from it all.

Okay, so I think I've said all that I can say to explain to you guys. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

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**Please don't respond to this update in the form of a review, if you really want to respond to you want to, message me through my profile page!**

**Thank you & I'm Very Sorry! D:**

**_-KinKitsune01_**


	20. IMPORTANT: UP FOR ADOPTION!

Hi everyone.

It's been a VERY long time. 4 YEARS, to be exact. Man, I didn't realise it had been that long since I stopped writing this fanfiction… You guys had probably forgotten all about Kitsune no Shoujo and I don't blame you. I forgot about it too… But I do remember getting requests from people occasionally, to adopt this fanfiction.

Lately, I've decided that that's the plan I want to go through with. Therefore, this fanfiction is now up for adoption!

But I don't want to give it up to just anyone. It's my first fanfiction, and my 'baby' as far as Fanfiction goes.

So, if you're interested in adopting, please message me telling me **what you will do with the fanfiction**; **what direction you're thinking of taking the plot**. I'll also be having a read of one of your own fanfiction, to see if I like the writing style or not.

Those wanting to take the fanfiction will have to make sure not to forget the plot-points that are present, unless you have a good reason for removing them from your version.

Plot points:

1/ The other spirit residing in the Kyuubi seal, going by the name of 'Yon'. (Don't reveal his identity too quickly, ok? And maybe you can do a better job than I did at making him mysterious and actually in-character for who he is – and I know people already figured out who he is.)

2/ Haku, now a Kumogakure ninja, and his team (you can change the two OC ninja in his team, maybe with known Kumo-nin since some have been revealed now, if you want to). Have him play a part in the plot, don't forget he's there!

3/ The possible pairings I was working towards: Fem!NaruSasu, Fem!NaruShika or Fem!NaruHaku, and possibly LeeSaku. =)

Those are the only points I really care about. Anyway, please if you're interested, contact me letting me know what you'd plan to do with the fanfic if I were to hand it over to you.

I'll be updating this with a new chapter to tell everyone who will be continuing this, once they're chosen.

Thanks!

_**~Kin**_


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